We Read Our Own Porn
by saiyansecret
Summary: (Vegeta x Goten, 1 year post-DBZ) Our heroes find that they needn't look elsewhere for what they already have.
1. Chapter 1

"I don't know what to do with him anymore," ChiChi had ranted to Vegeta, who'd called with his now weekly complaint, "He's gotten so lazy! I know Goku would just make excuses for him, but it's unacceptable."

"Yes, I've noticed," Vegeta impatiently informed her, "What I want to know is why. What's going on?"

"Everything was fine before," she continued, "He used to come home and flop on the couch, tell me he's dying, and that I've put him in the hands of a sadist. Now, he doesn't even look tired, and locks himself in his room with his video games. He's not a kid anymore, and it's time he assumes responsability."

"No, really?" Vegeta returned sarcastically, "That's not surprising, though. He barely breaks a sweat now." He wondered if ChiChi realized that they were complaining accusingly for the same reason, but scowled. It was true that in Kakarot's absence, Goten's training was as much his responsability as was Trunks'.

ChiChi had thought for a moment. "I don't watch his practice anymore, but I have an idea. Why don't you and Trunks stop by this weekend, and you can train in the clearing by our house? Maybe a change of scenery and fresh air would make a difference." And she could supervise, she refrained from adding.

Vegeta had stopped his instinctive argument, considering the option. "Not a bad idea. I'm not sure what you're hoping for, but it's worth a try."

And so it was arranged. That evening after dinner, ChiChi announced the change of plans. It won her an apathetic, "Whatever," from Goten, before he disappeared into the other dimension that was his room.

-:-

Saturday after lunchtime found ChiChi and Goten busy in the kitchen, each breathing a sigh of relief when they'd finished preparing large sandwiches, snacks and drinks, which were packed into coolers and baskets.

"You'll have to carry most of this lot," ChiChi told her son, "I'm feeding three Saiyans here."

"Sure." Goten adjusted the lapel of his red gi and easily lifted at least his own weight in food. "I still don't see why you guys insisted on the change of plans," he commented, "Unless our drill sergeant found a way to alter the whole Earth's gravity."

Picking up two baskets, ChiChi gave him a stern glance. "You should be ashamed to show your sensei such a lack of respect."

Goten looked guiltily at the floor. Satisfied to have got through to him, ChiChi announced, "Let's go, then."

Goten trudged out ahead of her, and she cheerfully locked the door, hiding the key in a potted plant. ChiChi was in a decidedly good mood, reflecting that it was good to have as many boys to look after again.

-:-

Goten landed their Capsule Corp-issued helicopter in the forest clearing not far from the Sons' home, where Vegeta and Trunks waited for them.

While Vegeta spoke to ChiChi, Trunks came over to examine the engine. "Don't you think it's time to upgrade?" he inquired, "Most people have the GS-6 now, and the 7-Edge will be out next month."

Goten glanced uncomfortably at their bulky model, but tightened his mouth, not about to admit that they couldn't afford it. But he only replied lightly, "It's one that Mom can actually fly. Picturing her behind the new wheel should strike fear in your heart."

Trunks laughed, but popped open the still-warm hood, concerned. "I know, but I don't like the noise coming from the motor. I can't get my hands greasy now, but afterward I want to check it out."

"Okay." Goten lightened up, having misunderstood his words for what had been a sore subject for him since their childhood.

"…The weather is nice, and we brought plenty to eat," they could hear ChiChi saying.

Trunks glanced at them and added furtively, "Oh yeah, Goten. I know my dad sounds like an asshat sometimes, but it just comes out wrong. You should know it's his way of worrying, so could you put in a little more effort today?"

"Because you have to hear it," Goten translated dryly, "Don't bullshit a bullshitter."

Trunks grinned. "That too," he admitted, "But it's not bullshit. He thinks something's wrong, and is offended that you wouldn't tell him why, or at least me."

Goten rolled his eyes. "I told you what that's all about. Gohan disappointed him, so he's hell-bent on proving I'm more Saiyan than human."

 _You're nothing to him_ , a dark voice in the back of Goten's mind repeated caustically, _Or to any of them, and no wonder. You've done nothing but disappoint everyone who ever counted on you_. He clenched his fists, firmly commanding it to shut up. His own world was his thing, and reality quite another. It was a place where he must settle for robotically doing as was expected of him, and so be it. He'd accepted the fact long ago.

"…Hello…?" Trunks closed the hood, waving a hand before his face. "Hey, space cadet." He pointedly glanced at their parents, who waited expectantly.

"Yeah, yeah." Casually they strode over to their parents, and Trunks explained the helicopter's need for a tune-up.

"I see." Vegeta's expression changed. "You can check it out later, then," he told Trunks. He led the demi Saiyans out of ki blast range, while ChiChi unfolded a straw mat, sitting down to watch.

The Saiyans' practice was an average day, of late. That was to say, even from the security distance of her vantage point, ChiChi was mentally face-palming almost permanently. Why, even when she'd trained Goten herself in his childhood, he'd made more progress and shown more enthusiasm. Now, he appeared virtually lifeless, and she began to understand why Vegeta had been questioning her. Something was very off.

Having tried everything he could imagine, Vegeta was at the end of his proverbial rope in the extinguished heat of sparring. "What're you gonna do now, bitch?" he purposefully taunted, "Scratch me? Slap me?"

"Huh?" Goten asked in confusion, pausing.

"You fight like a girl!" Vegeta blurted, seething, "No, worse. You fight like your brother!" He realized, too late, that he should not have said that.

Backed by a kiai that rivaled his father's Kamehameha wave, Goten's ki level suddenly skyrocketed in a flurry of punches and kicks that saw Vegeta battling in retreat, and sweating.

His senpai's initial excitement of triumph blurred into fear for a split second before a vicious ki blast sent him flying backward to collide through an apple tree, which was ruggedly splintered on impact, before he crashed into a cliff just behind it. His head hit the cliff with a sickening-sounding crack before he slid to the ground, covered in dust, his elevated golden glow vanishing. As though to add insult to injury, an apple that had fallen bounced off his head.

Himself stunned at the scene, Trunks picked up the apple and handed it to his father. "Well, Eureka," he commented, "You earned it." The apple rolled away, unnoticed. Trunks looked up at the other two in true alarm.

"Oh my God!" Panicked, ChiChi ran over to inspect the damage.

"I'm sorry, Vegeta-san!" Goten's powered-up glow vanished, and he knelt beside him. "Are you okay?"

Vegeta heard their recognized voices, which seemed to echo from far away. Dizzying, black ocean waves washed over his consciousness, suggesting he was about to lose what was left, and what began as a seering electric shock in his head slowly gave way to a dull, faintly throbbing pain. Knowing there to be three other individuals present, his blurred, distorted vision suggested nine.

ChiChi also knelt beside him, placing a worried hand on his head. "Can you hear me?" she asked in panic.

"Dad?" Trunks asked, feeling his head for signs of fracture. With luck, there were none.

Vegeta nodded slowly, which was a bad idea, as everything already seemed to be spinning.

"You got a senzu bean?" Goten asked Trunks, who shook his head, so he ran back to the helicopter, returning with a First Aid kit.

"We gotta call an ambulance!" ChiChi told them, still panicked, but Vegeta held up a hand to signal, Wait.

Goten broke open two dry ice packs, which he efficiently strapped to Vegeta's head. "Rest your eyes, but don't shut them," he instructed. Vegeta complied with a muffled groan of relief brought by the ice.

ChiChi and Trunks nodded approvingly, in equal relief that it didn't seem to be as bad as it looked. The three of them waited quietly for a few moments until Vegeta stirred, moving to slowly stand up. Trunks and Goten each steadied one of his arms, watching to see if he could stay on his feet.

"It's fine," Vegeta told the three of them at their wary looks, "…was just… unexpected."

"I think you need to see a doctor, Vegeta," ChiChi warned, watching disapprovingly as he shrugged off the demis' support.

"No," Vegeta stated firmly, acknowledging, "But we'll call it a day."

"Then you're stuck with Dr. Mom," ChiChi informed him stubbornly. She glanced sharply at Goten, who visibly felt badly enough about it, so she said nothing.

"What?" Vegeta demanded, though his voice was unusually subdued.

"All I want you to do is rest," ChiChi reasoned, "Anyway, Trunks wants to take a look at the helicopter, and the food won't be wasted."

The matter was settled, and the four of them climbed in. Trunks flew it back so that he could gage its performance, giving them all a good excuse for silence.

-:-

The trip didn't take long, and on arrival, Trunks took out his capsule toolbox, and went to work immediately.

ChiChi let the rest of them in, and told Goten, "Lend him your room, so he can rest."

Being the least he could do, Goten led Vegeta to his room, setting a fresh bottle of water on his nightstand. "It's more comfortable than it looks," he told him with a grim half-smile, watching him sit down.

"It's fine." Vegeta averted his eyes, his voice sounding even more subdued.

Goten chewed his lip as an awkward moment passed. "Vegeta, I'm really sorry," he said again, "I swear I didn't mean to–"

Vegeta caught his chagrined regard. "Don't be."

Not knowing what to say to fill the empty silence, Goten retreated. "Let me know if you need anything."

Vegeta watched him close the door behind him, hearing his quiet footsteps fade. He kicked off his boots with a heavy sigh and layed back on the pillow, rubbing his sore head.

The bed was indeed comfortable, and a nap sounded like the best idea ever at that moment. He could have easily gone right to sleep, if he hadn't felt something poking him in the back. He also may have been able to ignore it, but not quite. In tired irritation, he pulled back the bedspread and sheets, seeing nothing amiss. He felt beneath the mattress, and his hand closed around a rigid, square object.

He pulled out a black binder with the intention of moving it down by his feet, but something about it caught his interest. It was filled with old, doodled-on notebooks of different colors that looked to be from his last year of high school. That was odd. Why would he need those now, even more, why hide them? They were all similar, and he had to crack an amused smile at the many angry-looking, red correction marks on the assignment pages.

In the middle was a yellow notebook that inexplicably fascinated him. On the cover was doodled in 3D letters, _~Boringest Class Ever~_ He doubted that 'boringest' was a real word, but curiosity pushed him to open it.

The first couple of pages were scrawled with random, unrelated math equations, and at the next page, he froze.

He hadn't known the demi Saiyan could draw so well, but what made the deep blush creep across his burning cheeks was the exact, pencil-sketched likenesses of Goten, and of himself. And what the drawing depicted them doing. Their virtual selves were engaged in a heated, passionate kiss, their hands groping places that they really should not.

Feeling literally, electrically shocked, Vegeta was compelled to turn the page, and after a long pause, again. What struck him the most was the realism of the drawings, which seemed capable of walking off the pages into reality, and the genuine passion infused into each.

Luckily he was already seated, he thought dimly, as each page revealed a scene more daring than the last. They followed a logical sequence, a pictoral story that was slowly unfolding.

Stunned with his heart thudding in his ears, Vegeta knew that what he should do was put everything back and forget that he'd ever seen it. But, how could he possibly unsee that? He hadn't had the least clue that Goten felt that way about him.

The next page, a series of close-up crotch shots of him in his spandex made him squirm with embarassment. What Goten had likely seen at times was his protection cup, though it was true that he often hardened for no particular reason. The scenes made him scowl indignantly that he should be dissected and scrutinized like a piece of meat, but the depiction on the next page instantly dissolved the thought. In this one, Goten was on his knees at his feet, holding him at that level in an adoring embrace.

The more he stared at the provocative drawings, unable to tear himself away, the more he felt a tug in his chest, among other places, sometimes gently, other times cruelly. He also felt a pull of guilt to be spying on Goten's private world, not meant for prying eyes. He would tell no one, he silently promised, nor would he give the younger man any reason to suspect his knowledge of it.

His page turning slowed as the images became racier, their clothing removed before the deliciously forbidden acts began. Goten clearly saw himself as the sub of their fictional couple, and by now, Vegeta could not stop devouring the images if he tried. Despite himself, he could neither stop his body from reacting accordingly to each scenario, and longing for the sensations so graphically suggested. Such things would never happen for real, he reminded himself. Doubtless, it was but a passing fantasy to appease the screaming hormones normal for his age; soon enough, he would find a new object of desire.

That probability did not stop Vegeta's obsession to savor every last one. He'd read pornography before, involving strangers who purposely promoted it, and were quickly forgotten; this was very different, rendering him dumbfounded at the vivid awareness of feeling exactly what was portrayed.

He did not know what to think.

Okay, it happened for him to secretly admire the demi Saiyan when he wasn't looking, with no real expectation, but…

Vegeta's fingers were slightly trembling by the time he'd turned the last page, his breathing shortened. There were some blank pages left, and he wished he could bring it with him to read at his leisure. But, of course, that wasn't possible. He settled for looking back at a few choice drawings to burn into his memory for later viewing before turning the last page. The last scene was only a kiss, but one that conveyed such intimacy it left his senses reeling with a mix of so many yet unidentifyable emotions, he felt he would burst.

Under the drawing were their names within a heart, rather young for him to relate to, but which suggested the demi's sincerity.

Vegeta closed the notebook, putting it back into the binder as it had been, then slid it under the mattress near the footboard. He took his place on the pillow and stared at the ceiling, remembering his fatigue, but unable to forget what he'd seen.

As much as he needed a nap, the throbbing heat between his legs clamored for other attentions. His hand strayed down in a gentle attempt to calm it, which only made it worse, and that was not a current option. With a frustrated groan, he pulled up a small bedspread cover over his hips, embarassingly certain now that his masculine outline was obvious.

Frustrated, he tossed about in search of a less uncomfortable position. Finally settling halfway on his side, he managed to drift off, despite his mind taken hostage by Goten's hormone outlet. At this point, he was too sore and exhausted to be picky.

Vegeta had managed to catch a nap, and awoke to a discrete knock on the door. He didn't clearly remember his dreams, but had a good idea of their culprit. _Damn him._

Having seen that he'd rested, ChiChi entered with Goten in tow. "Are you feeling better?" she inquired. Vegeta nodded, but she placed a hand to his forehead. "Your temperature is up," she announced doubtfully.

"Normal," Vegeta mumbled sleepily, "The ki heals us faster that way."

"Huh. Goku never mentioned that." She handed him two aspirin and his water bottle. "Take these, and drink more water," she told him. Goten nodded behind her, and he complied to make her happy.

"Where's Trunks?" he asked drowsily.

"He went to get parts for the helicopter," ChiChi replied, hearing the tea kettle whistle. "Make him behave," she told Goten dryly before stepping out.

Dutifully, Goten reached down to also touch his forehead. "She's right," he confirmed in surprise. "Are you cold?" he asked, noticing the small cover around him.

"No." Realizing he'd turned on his back again in his sleep, swiftly Vegeta turned his leg back, half over on his side.

At the sight of his reddened cheeks, Goten doubted that. "Make yourself comfortable, Vegeta-san," he told him politely, "You don't feel like a stranger here, do you?" He pulled down the bedspread and sheets, and tucked him snugly underneath them.

"No, I'm not cold," he replied, getting him a puzzled look from Goten, "But you're the one acting like a stranger," he pointed out lightly.

"Huh?" Goten's face was blank, a classic Son look, and Vegeta guessed his long-buried thought: Real Vegeta and Virtual Vegeta from his personal manga were two different people in his eyes, the latter being purely fictional.

Seeing it to be a moot point, Vegeta dropped it. "I know it was an accident," he pointed out, "I was trying to make you angry, and hit the jackpot."

"Yeah, I know." Goten looked down and scuffed his shoes, wondering what he was expecting him to say, "You usually kick my ass."

"So did your niece," Vegeta reminded him dryly, "What I mean is, that was once. Next time, you'll just lapse back into lazy mode." He hesitated. "I can tell something is wrong, so can Trunks and your mother. If it's personal, I get it. But it affects your training, which affects everyone."

Goten was quiet, again at a loss for words. "Guess I'm just in a lazy mood. Nothing's wrong. All is usual."

"Well, what's wrong with usual?" Vegeta asked, unsurprised at his silence. "No need to answer now. But think about it, alright?"

"Okay," Goten replied quickly, looking relieved to be off the hook.

"Not optionally, for real," Vegeta insisted firmly, "Will you?"

Goten nodded, still looking at the floor. "Yeah."

"Good." Vegeta pushed aside the covers and swung his legs off the side of the bed.

Goten raised an eyebrow. "I hope you're just taking a short pause."

"No, why?" Vegeta reached for his boots.

"Because if my mother sees you up, I'm the one who'll catch hell." He watched warily as the other Saiyan fumbled with a boot.

"She exaggerates." Stubbornly Vegeta wiggled his foot into a boot, reaching for the other.

"I mean it." Goten kicked the boot out of his reach, and deftly pulled off the other to do the same.

Vegeta's piercing eyes shot daggers at him. "Goten, I demand an immediate explanation." His unnaturally calm voice suggested the potentiality of hell breaking loose.

Undaunted, Goten pushed him back onto the pillow. "Your head was hit really hard, and you're burning up," he reminded him firmly.

"I am not!" Vegeta declared, dismayed by a contradictory shiver from the contrast of warm covers and crisp air.

"Vegeta, be reasonable," Goten appealed. Vegeta shoved him away, but Goten pinned him down by the shoulders.

"Let go!"

ChiChi opened the door with a hot cup of tea in her hands, unsure of what to make of the apparent struggle on the bed. "What in the hell is going on here?" she asked wearily.

"My senpai–I mean sensei–" Goten hastily corrected, "–wishes to get up," he explained tersely.

ChiChi sighed and set the cup on the nightstand. "Vegeta, you know you need to take it easy," she began, "And Goten, why were you being so rough with him?"

Both remained still, and Goten looked down. "He was going to leave." Disliking the way his voice sounded, he added, "You said he should rest."

"No, I wasn't." Vegeta sounded surprised. "It's just not that bad." 'Senpai'? The word sounded similar enough to 'sensei,' so he decided that must be it.

ChiChi considered him. "I can bring your tea to the living room, if you prefer," she offered Vegeta, "Wherever's comfortable, and Trunks has a lot to do before what was supposed to be lunch."

Vegeta only sat quietly on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor as though thinking.

"Well, just let us know." ChiChi smiled kindly and left them.

Another awkward silence passed between them, and Goten sat down as well. "Sorry," he said finally, "Looks like I'm on a roll for screwing up."

"Nah." Vegeta glanced at him sidelong. "You're a protective type."

Goten noticed his arms wound tightly but discretely around himself. "And you're a stoic," he added in veiled amusement, "You are cold, aren't you?"

"I guess so," Vegeta admitted, sounding surprised, "I didn't notice." Fully realizing it now, he visibly shivered, rubbing his arms.

Goten stood to open a dresser drawer, taking out his favorite pair of gray jogging pants with a matching sweatshirt. Both were printed with his signature name number 510 in yellow and green. "Just put 'em on over your clothes," he said simply. That would be easy over his skimpy spandex, he thought, and he himself would not be forced to keep his eyes up as much.

"Thanks." Vegeta quickly pulled on the sweatshirt, then the pants underneath the small cover that was still draped over his lap.

He must really be cold, Goten thought, rearranging the covers. He motioned for Vegeta to slide back underneath them, which he did without argument. The returned warmth caused him to shiver more intensely. Goten tucked the covers tightly around him and vigorously frictioned his back, which relaxed him a bit after a few moments.

Vegeta smiled despite himself. "If it were your father, he'd tell me some senseless riddle, look at me like he knew something I didn't, then laugh over something entirely different."

Goten snickered. "Yeah, I know." He thought for a moment, then grinned. "I know one, but it's explainable. Well, kinda."

"Go for it," Vegeta challenged, intrigued.

"Okay… Once, a Chinese master named Zhao had a dream that he was a butterfly," Goten began, "He forgot everything about his life, and even who he was. All he knew was, he was a butterfly. When he woke up, he wondered: was it Zhao who dreamt he was a butterfly, or was it the butterfly who dreamt it was a man named Zhao? I don't think he ever found out."

Vegeta's eyes opened, and he blinked. "Where did you hear that?"

"In an anime. I laughed it off because it was told by a character named Lau who always has an opium pipe in his mouth. But recently, I heard that was a real fable. Except I don't remember the master's name, so I still call him Zhao," he concluded.

"Okay, but you said you could explain it," Vegeta reminded him, though he'd caught his attention.

"Just in my own way," Goten admitted, "What if we all could do that? Not be a butterfly, I mean forget who we are, what we're supposed to do, know or care what people think and expect of us… just drop it all, and do our own thing?" His expression was faraway and wistful.

"Interesting." Vegeta contemplated Goten, who may as well have spilled his most personal thoughts in one offhand story. The demi Saiyan was now obliviously leaning his back against Vegeta's shoulder.

"If you could do that, what would you do?" Goten inquired.

"No idea. I never thought about it," Vegeta reflected. Alone around Goten, he almost had that impression, anyway. Aside from occasional awkwardness, there was no real need for pretention. "But, how can someone not be who they are? Even taking another form, they still have the same thoughts."

"Even in dreams?" Goten asked, "They get pretty crazy sometimes."

"Yes, they do," Vegeta agreed quickly, "But I don't usually remember them."

"You probably don't try," Goten guessed, "So try daydreaming. Pretend you're someplace nice."

"I'm comfortable." That much was true, Vegeta acknowledged, and his eyelids closed heavily. What more could he want, at that moment?

Goten smiled faintly, his own eyes also closing drowsily. Comfortable was the word.

Her knock unheard, ChiChi opened Goten's door, shaking her head amusedly at the two sleeping Saiyans. Vegeta was still bundled up, turned on his back with Goten still leaned on his shoulder, now reclined back over his chest like a cat. "Well, you made sure he stayed put."

Lazily Goten opened one eye, reluctantly sitting up before wondering how he'd gone to sleep thus.

"Hey," Vegeta mumbled indignantly at the disturbance. He also opened his eyes, and groggily sat up.

"Trunks says the helicopter is fixed," ChiChi called in, "You're welcome to sleep, but I thought you must be hungry by now."

The mention of food mysteriously dissolved their sleepiness, and Goten brought Vegeta his boots with a humorous smirk. The latter returned the smirk and accepted them. Goten watched him slip them on, feeling proud to see him still wearing his sweatsuit.

They joined ChiChi and Trunks in the kitchen, where the food awaited them. "Good, you look better," ChiChi said to Vegeta as they sat down, "Scared me there."

"Everything's fine," Vegeta assured her, "Just gotta be careful not to piss him off." He lightly punched Goten's arm with a proud gleam in his dark eyes, then asked Trunks, "What was wrong with the motor?"

"One of the cylinders was blocked," Trunks replied, "ChiChi doesn't seem to believe me, but its replacement is included in the warranty. Would you mind confirming that?"

Vegeta tangibly felt Goten stiffen, his eyes narrowed, and saw the problem. He refused to accept handouts, family or not. Vegeta himself saw the logic in that. But again, he didn't know if it was covered or not, nor did it seem important. "I don't know all the technical details, but all parts and repairs are garanteed," he smoothed over. Goten, thus ChiChi, seemed to accept that.

"Well, thank you for fixing it, Trunks," ChiChi acknowledged.

"No problem. My biggest concern is your safety," Trunks replied courteously.

The ambiance became peaceful, and the group was quiet while they ate. Each realized that they'd been hungrier than they'd thought, and felt much better afterward. ChiChi finished their tea, and brought it to the table.

"How'd you get him to sleep properly?" ChiChi asked Goten, who shrugged.

"Something about someone dreaming they were a butterfly," Vegeta recalled, "Or was it the other way around?"

"Oh no!" Trunks exclaimed in a catching fit of laughter, noticing Vegeta wearing Goten's favorite sweatsuit. "You actually let someone wear that?" he asked Goten incredulously.

"It's warm and it fits," Goten brushed off.

"Maybe it's a lucky number," Vegeta speculated lightly. Goten smiled and looked down to hide his blush.

The four of them spoke lightly over a few cups of tea, until Trunks glanced at his watch. "Well, we should be going before it gets darker," he announced, standing, "Thank you for dinner, ChiChi. And for looking after my dad, Goten."

"You know you're welcome anytime," ChiChi replied cheerfully.

"It's the least of things," Goten added.

"Make sure your father gets enough sleep," ChiChi told Trunks, who nodded amusedly.

"I'm fine, but no worries," Vegeta replied dryly, "It's been a long day, and I'm going right to bed." He had lost a considerable amount of ki, and that was his true intention.

"Good, because I'll call and make sure," ChiChi warned them, satisfied.

"Then bring in the 'copter for a check up next week," Trunks reminded them, smiling with a wave.

Pulling at the front of his sweatshirt, Vegeta mumbled in furtive challenge to Goten, "You're not getting it back."

Goten grinned with a thumbs-up, and they watched them fly off. He kept his smile for a long time after they'd left.

For once, the youngest Son man made his mother happy by turning in early, ignoring his video game console in favor of going straight to bed.

Sleepily he shut off his lamp, more than a little troubled as he clutched his pillow that still held Vegeta's scent.

To his own surprise that day, it wasn't the lusty mood his secret manga depicted that he'd felt. If he had his way now, Vegeta would be held tightly in his arms for the entire night. Gods, what was happening to him?

He squeezed the pillow tighter with a heavy, melancholic sigh. So ironically close, yet still so far.

TBC in Chapter 2…


	2. Chapter 2

As they'd flown back to West City, despite his easygoing attitude toward his father, Trunks kept a discrete eye on him. He did seem a bit odd, though he knew better than to say anything.

When they landed at Capsule Corp, Vegeta told him, "You handle your mother's questions. I'm going to bed. That makes everyone happy, and for once I agree."

"Go ahead, Dad," Trunks replied, "Nobody'll disturb you." He watched him take the hallway directly to his room, satisfied.

Closing and locking his door behind him, Vegeta heaved a sigh of relief. What everyone had been insisting on was exactly what he wanted. The pain and other symptoms in his head were long gone, but he was unusually exhausted. He did not even bother changing into his pyjamas before sliding under his covers, and switching off the lamp. Finally.

He'd fully intended on going right to sleep, and lacked not for comfort in his familiar bed, and the fuzzy, warm fleece lining of Goten's sweatsuit. A faint smile graced his serene face in the dark, then his eyes opened again. Goten.

What he'd seen in the demi's notebook, and firmly intended to forget for just one night, came flooding back in vivid detail. Except this time, it was not monochrome pencil drawings flashing tauntingly through his mind, but every scene of the two of them, in full color flesh and messy hair.

"No," he mumbled aloud in protest, too late. Though chastely it had been, he'd slept beside him, and felt the muscular warmth of his nubile body. His woodsy, sweet-spicy scent was still with him, as was the silken touch of his ebony hair. He'd been wrapped in his ki, lost in his eyes, and had stared at his subtly sensual lips too much. It was so real to him now. Too real, and the scenes took on a life of their own in his mind.

{Vegeta slams Goten against the wall of his room, gripping his wrists tightly and greedily kissing those adorable lips as the demi Saiyan melts into it, wrapping his leg lasciviously around him. He can feel his manhood grinding lightly against his own with a playful smirk while his freed hands grope his ass. That's okay, let him play.

Vegeta's mouth moves down to devour the satiny skin of his neck, overwhelmed with the urge to bite.

Goten's hand slides down to rub his aching cock while Vegeta does the same, neither caring how loud their moans become. The demi's hand slides down his pants to lightly stroke it, waiting for his strangled cry to stop with a dark, beguiling smirk.

Fucking little tease… Vegeta deals him a few bitch-slaps, watching his eyes cloud with submissive lust. In a blurred struggle, their clothes are ripped free, skin against skin while Vegeta whispers the sealing words, 'Show me you're mine.'

Goten kneels at his feet, enlacing him while soft kisses to his now leaking member turn to a crescendo of licks, then gentle sucking before he engulfs him into his warm, wet, and talented mouth…}

Trembling violently now, Vegeta tugged down the front of his pants and took hold of his throbbing shaft, burying his face into his pillow to stifle his halting moans. The wetness that leaked from him became that of Goten's perfectly twisting mouth, and now he was obliged to bite his other hand to not be overheard.

{Vegeta lifts Goten and throws him brutally onto the bed, a hand stroking his back with a contrasting gentleness. He knows how to prepare a virgin, and it isn't long before he has the demi Saiyan reduced to a quivering mass of pleasure.

No, wait. He wants to see and feel it all, slowly turning Goten on his back. Their eyes lock, and something happens…}

{"Goten," Vegeta sighed into his hair.}

{"Vegeta…" he could have sworn he heard, too hot to even think at this point.}

{He takes him, first gently, at times obliged to withdraw and wait, then gradually harder as his signals encourage.}

It seemed so real… too real for a mere fantasy, yet his hand slowed, despite his body clamoring for release.

{Goten's back arches, his pleasured cries making it difficult to hold back. His fingernails pierce his skin as he thrusts back, sobbing for more.}

Vegeta's hand pumped harder, tasting blood from his free hand in trying not to make a similar noise as he climbed higher toward the point of no return. Almost, almost…

{Never has Goten looked so beautiful than in their shared throes of pleasure. His body trembling, his tight contractions making his lover sure he would certainly burst until they finally let go, not caring if the entire world could see or hear. Vegeta brushes away a lock of hair from the demi's flushed cheeks, watching his fluttering eyes opened to slits… open almost fully.}

In the last few seconds before precious release, Vegeta was staring into Goten's eyes, and felt his body beneath his own.

A flashback.

\- _'You're not getting it back,'_ he'd actually said, of his sweatsuit. _'You're mine,'_ he voiced sincerely now, of Goten.

\- A smiling thumbs-up had actually meant, _'Okay,'_ at that time, of his sweatsuit. _'Yes,'_ he voiced sincerely now, to Vegeta.

{Imagination or reality, Vegeta's and Goten's eyes remained locked, each feeling the other enclosed in his embrace in their shuddering climax. Ecstasy, like a clap of thunder, descending gracefully in glistening rain. Collapsing gratefully in euphoric afterglow…}

Vegeta went limp, facedown until his breathing returned to normal. His eyes opened slowly, finding himself alone, of course. Still, he remained stunned. Whatever had just happened was as crazy as it was amazing.

A significant distance away in his darkened bedroom, Goten layed still in his own afterglow, just as incredulous as he caught his breath. That experience could not have been real, and the mushrooms cooked in their dinner were the same he'd picked with his father and brother since always. Had Vegeta really felt the same thing? he ventured to wonder. Such a thing could not be true, but the sparkling sensations still with him now were real enough to silence his logic, sending him back to sleep with a genuine, secretive smile.

As drowsy as he was, Vegeta stared at his darkened ceiling in disbelief. It was not the act itself that spun his thoughts in turmoil; sometimes, DIY was just necessary to decompress. It wasn't so strange that Goten should be the subject of his fantasy, either. He wasn't blind, and who could blame him after what he'd seen earlier that day? Though, none had ever left him so troubled.

Why did he have to find the damn notebook, anyway? he thought crossly. Under a mattress was doubtlessly the stupidest hiding place ever. It was most likely stuffed there hastily and forgotten, and who could have guessed the turn of events?

Vegeta gave up and turned on his side, allowing his heavy eyelids to finally close for the night.

A new day at Capsule Corp brought with it the refreshing clarity of rested minds and peace, or as much as could be expected.

"The doctor will stop by this morning to examine your head, just to make sure," Bulma informed Vegeta over coffee and breakfast, "It won't take long."

"It was the best I could do," Trunks quickly replied to his father's stern glare, which he levelled at Bulma.

"For a little bump," Vegeta snorted, but knew that arguing would just make things more difficult than was worth the trouble.

"That isn't what ChiChi said on the phone," she commented dryly as she and her mother refilled everyone's cups.

Vegeta slumped in his chair. "Mystery solved," he muttered to himself.

Some time later in the lab, their aging family doctor studied his patient's x-ray and scan. He nodded to himself in relief, having expected much worse.

"Everything looks fine," he announced to them in dubious surprise. He thought for a moment before advising Vegeta, "I'd rather you take today off training, though you probably won't. The reason is outside of my speciality, but still in the field of general health."

The Briefs exchanged glances of unease.

When Vegeta said nothing, confused, the doctor turned to Trunks. "I trust you and your friend can practice on your own today?"

"We get Sundays off," Trunks replied.

"You give your students a day off, but not yourself," he observed rhetorically.

"It's not work," Vegeta explained impatiently, "It's what I do. It's who I am." He frowned, seeming to be talking more to himself than present company.

"I see." The doctor thought for a moment more, then concluded, "Well, take today off, anyway. Maybe there is a book you've been meaning to read, a project, a visit, or just a quiet day. Of course, if you experience any pain, inflammation, hallucinations, or other unusual symptoms, call me or emergency right away."

Vegeta and Trunks nodded. "Thank you, Doctor," Bulma replied. She and her parents accompanied him to the door, Bulla tagging after them.

"I'm sure he has a good reason to advise a break," Trunks commented when they were alone, knowing his father did as he pleased regardless.

"It's no big deal," Vegeta brushed off.

"Okay." Trunks blinked, not knowing what to make of that, but changed the subject. "I meant to ask. I don't suppose Goten told you what his problem is?"

"No, he didn't." Vegeta internally cringed, thanking his lucky star that he would not have to look the younger male in the face that day.

"He doesn't even want to hang out anymore," Trunks complained, "All we do is watch anime and play video games, and he's being such an emo."

"'Emo?'"

"An attitude like 'I'm so deep and complex, and no one understands me,'" Trunks parodied, "Sometimes it's creepy, like he's not really there. He doesn't even care if he wins or loses."

"That, I've noticed," Vegeta replied, wondering if it was because of him. "Well, let him space out if he wants to. I'd just rather he didn't in training."

"Slightly preferable," Trunks mumbled in irony, but put it aside. "Got anything specific planned today?"

"No." Vegeta didn't know what else to do. "What kind of books do you have?"

Glad to see him show a small interest in something, Trunks brightened. "Look at my bookshelf." He led him to his room and indicated his books. "Manga up here - mostly action and sci-fi - novels here, and tech refs on the bottom. Help yourself. From here, I mean."

"I already saw your hidden ones, and no thanks," Vegeta returned dryly, smirking when Trunks' face paled.

"What's wrong with them?" Trunks demanded defensively, "Wait, why were you snooping?"

"I wasn't, I was looking for a shirt you never gave back," Vegeta informed him, "But, to each their own thing, I guess."

"Well, what is your 'thing'?" Trunks challenged, doubting he would admit to anything.

Vegeta made a face. "Not cyborgs that can grow tentacles."

"Then I'm not worried," Trunks said cheerfully, stifling a snicker, "Later, then."

"Hn." When he left, Vegeta studied his array of reading, mostly kept in good condition. After much hesitation, he finally settled on a few that were unusual choices for him, before bringing them back to his room.

An hour later found Vegeta sitting on his bed with an opened manga drawing guide and several sheets of paper scattered about. A scene in one manga had inspired him to try. The drawing guide depicted skeletal structures of generic human figures in various poses, which involved lots of circles. Trying to draw hands made him contemplate witchcraft, and just trying to get everything in correct proportion…

 _"Fuck!_ Be damned!" In a final bout of frustration, he crumpled the paper and angrily flung it against the wall, where it joined a mound of other failed attempts. In a swift motion, he flung the lot off his bed, and slumped with a defeated scowl.

He could not draw. He'd never tried, and had no patience to learn what had never actually interested him.

He settled back to think of the kinds of smut he'd seen before, becoming very discouraged. It wasn't likely that he would see Goten's personalized drawings again, and they were so perfect. What could he possibly do to make something even remotely close to it?

He'd read a couple of X-rated novellas, and several fanfictions on the internet… wait.

He sat upright, and retrieved his laptop from its drawer and case. He turned it on, opened a simple text program, and typed the first thing that sprang to his mind on literature:

 _"'Back into my chamber turning,_

 _All my soul within me burning,_

 _Dreaming,_

 _Doubting,_

 _Dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before...'"_

Vegeta smiled slowly. He doubted that he possessed any talent approaching that of the great Poe, (who must have been turning over in his grave at that moment) but he had some. He couldn't describe how he knew that, but he could feel it.

He moved the laptop to his pillow and sprawled facedown before it. Smiling, he entitled the text, _Senpai Notices Kohai._ Well, it was a working title. Underneath it, he wrote, _by Anonymous._

He shut his eyes, allowing himself to daydream. Hesitantly at first, but before he knew it, he was fully immersed in one of his favorite fantasies. The more he allowed it to unfold in his mind, the more intense and hotter it became. His body reacted naturally and accordingly to the scenario, no surprise, but he let it play out until it was crystal clear, almost real, in his mind.

 _I can't write that!_ a part of his mind protested, horrified at the prospect of someone… anyone… finding and reading it. Then again, no one would suspect him of actually writing his own porn, even less would it be so foolishly hidden. Besides, his password and lockdown system was based on the technology of a galaxy the Earthlings had never encountered, thus was unbreachable.

Confident as well as inspired, he began to type.

{It was a mild, pleasant day of early summer, a light, foresty-scented breeze whispering its mysterious promise as it rustled through his hair. A sudden North wind seemed to echo his anxieties, as he knew how wrong it was, what he was about to do. However, when the Saiyan formerly known as the prince was resolute, nothing deterred him. At the sight of the small, familiar dome house below, he slowed in flight and floated down to the roof. Furtively he peeked into the specific upstairs window, confirming what he knew. Now reclined on his bed reading, the demi Saiyan would be home alone all weekend, and who would think to look for himself here? Here, now, tired of dreaming, knowing what he knew to be true… The unlocked window opened with ease, and he stepped in, startling the unsuspecting teen. Recognition shone in his eyes, with curiosity and perhaps something more.

"You've teased me for too long, Goten," Vegeta whispered with a smirk, his arm deceptively gentle as it slid around his waist. He slammed the sexy demi against the wall, firmly pinning down his wrists while his lips captured Goten's in a savage, bruising kiss that elated him to feel returned. "Don't you think it's time to play?" …}

Vegeta completely lost track of time, so engrossed he was in his story, it became his reality. It gave him an odd physical and emotional satisfaction, as though it were truly happening as he wrote. Maybe transforming into a butterfly wasn't so difficult after all.

Who would have guessed how happy it would make him? Vegeta smiled at having discovered his new hobby. It would even be worth sacrificing a few hours of training, he realized. Before he knew it, his first scene and chapter were almost finished. He hesitated at the exact wording of the last paragraph, when he was jolted from his reverie by a knock at his door.

"What?" he called in irritation.

"Dad? Sorry, but can I talk to you a second?" Trunks asked from the hallway. His voice sounded subdued and perturbed.

Frowning, Vegeta hastily clicked Save Text and hid the window. "Alright."

Trunks entered, seeing the computer. "What are you typing?" he asked curiously.

"My memoirs," Vegeta improvised, "It sounds like something's wrong?"

Trunks nodded. "What I told you about Goten, that you noticed? Well, I called as usual to hang out, at either place, and he said he wanted to be alone. Thing is, he sounded really upset. He denied it and doesn't want to talk to me or anyone else, but… I don't like it."

Vegeta frowned, feeling a stab of guilt. Maybe it really was all because of himself. To Trunks, he replied, "That doesn't sound too strange. Don't you ever want to be left alone?"

"Yeah, but I'm not constantly depressed." Trunks leaned morosely against the wall. "He's my best friend, and I see there's nothing I can do. I just want him to be happy again."

Vegeta looked at him differently, and sobered. "It could be any number of reasons we know nothing of. Let me think, alright?"

Trunks nodded, looking partially relieved. "Okay. Thanks." He left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Vegeta hid his face in his hands. Everyone seemed to sense it. It was for him to make right, but how?

He wasn't good at such things. Paradoxically, he was writing like a boss, yet would be incapable of expressing the same things for real. Good grief, it was a fantasy! 'Was' being the operative word. What had happened in the space of one day? And when? It could not have happened as quickly as that. He wasn't ready to elaborate on exactly what 'it' was, but he felt it clearly, and it scared the hell out of him.

But that could be addressed later. Supposing it were the case, why was Goten depressed today when they'd been joking and borderline flirting the night before? Joking. He'd answered his own question, he reflected grimly.

It was unfair, he admitted. What would he think in his place, almost omniscently? Vegeta underhandedly knew how Goten felt, but Goten surely assumed he was not himself, was only kidding, and had forgotten it all.

Vegeta glanced at his text, biting his lip. It was only fair…

 _Are you crazy?_ he mentally demanded. Good gods, he would be the last person to step over his dead body to read it!

Then again, he didn't need to know who had written it, and there was a way to find out for sure. He added a foreward note, reworded the last sentence, and easily finished the chapter. Afterward, he typed, _To Be Continued?_

Quickly, Vegeta sneaked out, down the long hallway, and into the office. He plugged his laptop into the printer, clicked, and watched it obediently transfer his story onto paper. It was longer than he'd realized, and a heavy-duty stapler was needed to attach them. Careful to delete every trace, he slipped the manuscript into a manilla envelope, and sealed it before sneaking it back to his room like a thief. Re-encrypting his laptop, he shut it off and put it away.

He put on his shoes, gathered the envelope and a few necessities, then opened his window. He paused, thinking of what he was about to do.

"I should really have my head examined… again," he muttered, then flew off before he could lose the nerve.

Vegeta's secretive flight to the Sons' home bore an eerie ressemblance to the one he'd written, save one huge difference: he was not to be seen, by Goten nor anyone. He found a fitting place to hide the envelope, lowered his ki, and skulked carefully to the correct side of the house. All was quiet inside, so he floated up near Goten's window, again like in his story.

Goten had pulled down but not fully closed his Venetian blind, and the window was opened a little. Perfect. Vegeta peeked into the side of the window, firstly to see how he was really doing. He was indeed reclined on his bed with his arms loosely crossed, his eyes shut but not asleep. That did not tell him much, so he stayed to watch.

After several minutes, Goten opened his eyes halfway with a dull sigh, staring blankly at the far wall, then closed them again.

Vegeta's throat tightened. It took considerable self-restraint on his part to not go inside. He recalled just how comfortable he'd felt the day before, and wanted to curl up beside him again. He didn't appear to be upset, but melancholic indeed. He could see it now. Maybe he could remedy that.

Vegeta withdrew from his pocket a pebble, a rubber band, and a smaller sheet of paper. On it was typed:

 _Goten,_

 _Under the rock behind your mailbox - go look. Hope you like it._

 _\- Anonymous_

Vegeta wrapped the paper around the pebble, attaching it with the rubber band. With careful aim, he tossed it in through the window so that it bounced off his shoulder.

Goten's eyes opened in confusion, and he found and curiously opened the strange message. Intrigued, he slipped on his shoes and looked outside, of course seeing no one. He also left by the window, following the message's instructions with a decent mix of wariness and intrigue.

Behind the Sons' mailbox was a rock large enough for an average person to sit on. Indeed, he spotted the manila envelope and retrieved it, hurrying back to his room through the window.

Very carefully now, Vegeta watched through the side of the blind as Goten opened it and read the forward note. It read:

 _I hope you aren't offended, but you're my OTP. Don't seek to know who I am. Just enjoy._

Goten reread the message a couple of times, then quickly turned the page. He read the first part, a blush and a slow grin covering his face. A few lines later, he spontaneously kissed the manuscript, then clutched it to his chest. He read on, feeling his heart race, the misty look in his eyes telling Vegeta all he needed to know… for now.

The prince began his flight back toward West City, smiling faintly. He regretted not a word there written, nor was he as before, still dreading looking Goten in the face… no, nevermore.

TBC in Chapter 3…

(A/N: Hopefully I don't need a disclaimer that I didn't write "The Raven". Neither did Vegeta.)


	3. Chapter 3

Since Goten had found the mysterious manuscript, which he'd reread several times, he could think of nothing else. Besides its obvious consequence, he was obsessed with the question of who could have wrote it.

Monday morning saw him pacing in his room, thinking. The story was incredibly close to a scenario he'd drawn himself, and with that thought, he froze. He remembered having quickly stuffed his binder beneath his mattress when his mother brought in his clean laundry Saturday morning.

 _Fuck!_ It occurred to him that he'd forgotten to put it back in its real hiding place, beneath a floorboard he'd pulled up under the carpet. Quickly he lifted his mattress, feeling for the binder, and was flooded with panic at not finding it.

"No, no!" Panic turned to a mix of fear and devastation at the thought of it being stolen. Who even could have? Who'd had access to his room long enough? He'd barely left his room all weekend. The only one who'd been alone in it since… Vegeta. Impossible, his mind rebelled. Clearly he'd only slept, was not the kind of person who idly snooped, and had left empty-handed save the extra sandwiches and snacks he and ChiChi sent for them. Who, then?

 _'You're my OTP,'_ the note read.

He flipped off the entire mattress, and there it was, faithfully waiting down by the footboard. Immensely relieved, he picked it up and inspected it. Not a thing was out of place; even his notebooks' color order was intact: blue, red, yellow, green, black. No drawings were torn out, either. He replaced the binder into its secret panel and put his mattress back, feeling foolish. He'd been in a hurry to just get the thing out of sight, so it may well have slid there.

Of course, it had occurred to him that the manuscript could well be a sick prank, or a trap. But again, who? He'd never made an enemy in his life, and knew of no one who had a reason to hate him any more than whose OTP they could be. It was the first time he'd even heard of a real life OTP, and either way, it smacked of irony. All logical signs pointed to the least likely, and though Saiyans easily picked up languages, how could he possibly know how to write in such a way? It made no sense, but he was determined to find out.

Smiling despite himself, he took a pen and paper from his desk and wrote,

 _Hey Mystery Writer,_

 _Do I get an update? Please?_ :D

 _(Who are you?)_

 _P.S. Thank you!_ ❤

As before, Goten left out his window to the mailbox and slid the folded note under the rock, in the same place where he'd found the story. He paused to raise the little mailbox flag, a system that had never actually been used as far as he could remember, before scampering back inside the same way.

Having some time left before lunch, then training, he sat back on his bed with a sigh. Trying to think of anything else was useless, so he didn't. Though on one hand the thought petrified him, on the other, he wished and hoped it were Vegeta. He was his other half, whether he knew it or not.

As usual after lunchtime, Goten arrived on time at Capsule Corp, that day with a new attitude. He purposely arrived in uniform to save time, to speak with Vegeta aside.

"Are you doing better now?" he asked shyly.

"Yeah. A day of rest didn't kill me," Vegeta replied lightly, drawing a smile from him. "Are you?" His voice had turned serious.

Goten looked up, puzzled. "Yeah. Why?"

"It wasn't what I heard." Vegeta had lowered his voice.

"I just prefer quiet now," Goten replied, "Like you, no?"

"Your thoughts make much noise?" Vegeta teased.

Goten laughed nervously. "No. They just monopolize things a lot." He was very much liking Vegeta's tone of voice, and unconsciously stood closer to him. "But I promise to try harder." He looked up at him for approval.

"I appreciate that." Vegeta sounded surprised, yet sincere. "Though actually, I was thinking of lightening your schedule. You may just need a break."

"You mean, you would…?" Goten's eyes were wide, then he paused. "That's nice of you, but you don't have to do that," he said quickly. He looked guiltily at the floor for causing him trouble.

"I know I don't have to," Vegeta told him loftily, "And I'm not being nice, just looking after you."

"'Cause I'm still a dumb kid?" Goten's voice turned dry, and he visibly closed up with a firm step back.

"No, I wouldn't say that," Vegeta replied in amused irony. He turned to stare out a small round window. "If you must know, I'm also doing so for a few days."

Goten blinked, forgetting his former thought. "Medical advice?" he asked in confusion.

"No. Just for some quiet, like you." Vegeta pulled down the shutter of the small opercule in a clear gesture that meant he didn't intend to elaborate.

"Oh. Well, Sensei knows best," Goten acknowledged, but smiled to himself.

"Precisely," Vegeta voiced in a lower tone that sent a shiver down his spine.

"Hope I'm not interrupting?" Trunks inquired from the doorway, adjusting his sash.

"No," Vegeta replied simply, "But you took long enough for a lengthy philosophical debate."

"Sorry." Trunks took his place beside Goten, who was suddenly very intent on a first warm-up.

"By the way, his name was Zhuang Zhao, or Zhuangzi in simplified Mandarin, which basically means Master Zhuang," Vegeta informed Goten, "In the fourth section, chapter 18 of _zhìlé_ , he laments a skull laying along the roadside because it's dead, to which the skull retorts, 'How do you know it's bad to be dead?' His philosophy is a skepticism of the Tao, that life is limited while knowledge is unlimited." He casually began his own stretching, leaving the demi Saiyans staring at him.

"Okay. Uh… thanks," Goten replied, whispering to Trunks, "Is he on any medication?"

"No," Trunks muttered back, "And I don't have any books about that."

"I didn't think so." Goten hid his smirk in his extended leg.

"Don't mind me," Vegeta threw in innocently, "I was just wondering if you could walk the walk of those ancient Chinese-style tabi shoes you always wear."

"Is that a challenge issued to your student?" Goten asked with interest.

"It is one," Vegeta confirmed with a smirk, dropping one of his gloves in front of him. "No favors thrown."

Goten picked it up with a bow. "Soredewa, gambarimasu," he promised, and tucked the glove into his belt.

"You always do your best," Vegeta replied confidently.

Trunks deemed it a bad idea to ask if he could make popcorn, but watched with interest.

"In that case, we'll need an impartial referree," Vegeta told Trunks, "Can you be impartial?"

"Sure," Trunks agreed, "I've read Sun Tzu, but not the Tao Te Ching or anything like that, so it'll have to be on the honor system for you."

Vegeta nodded and Goten held up a peace sign.

Trunks stepped back and declared, "Hajime!"

True to his word, Goten kept his mind on Earth and did his best, knowing 'no favors' meant no BS. He'd managed to parry his initial attack, but Vegeta was more determined than he'd guessed, and in the first round of sparring, easily pinned Goten to the floor.

"Another example of this skepticism is found in Zhuangzi's example of two courtesans, Mai Qiang and Lady Li," Vegeta challenged, lightly brushing back a lock of Goten's hair, "'Men claimed them to be beautiful, but if fish saw them, they would be frightened and dive to the bottom of the stream; if birds saw them, they would fly away, and if deer saw them, they would break into a run. Of these four, who knows how to fix the standard of beauty in the world'? Do you have an answer to that?" Smugly he released the demi Saiyan.

Goten saw his own fault, as Vegeta had guessed he would not deliver any attack to the head. "I'll think fast."

Their next round began, making Goten break a sweat, determined not to be distracted, and lasted longer than he had in a long time. Perhaps it was that, or his feinted kick to the head that threw Vegeta off, as the next thing he knew, he found himself pinned down firmly by the demi Saiyan.

"Not so fast," Vegeta warned, "Do you have my answer?"

"Of course," Goten replied courteously to his earlier question, "The subjectivism of that can be balanced by the famous section of _yúzhiilé,_ The Happiness of the Fish. 'Zhuangzi and Huizi were strolling along the dam of the Hao Waterfall, when Zhuangzi said, 'See how these minnows dart about and play, going where they please. That's what fish enjoy.'

Huizi said, 'But you're not a fish - how do you know what fish enjoy?'

Zhuangzi said, 'You're not me, so how do you know I don't know what fish enjoy?'

Huizi said, 'I'm not you, so I certainly don't know what you know. On the other hand, you're certainly not a fish, so that still proves you don't know what fish enjoy.'"

Goten's voice turned sultry to conclude, "'Zhuangzi said, 'Let's go back to your original question. You asked me how I know what fish enjoy - so you already knew it when you asked the question. I know it, because I'm standing here on the bridge of the Hao river.'" Goten paused, smiling cleverly. "Am I correct?"

"Touché," Vegeta acknowledged, he himself sweating before Goten loosened his grip.

Their next round proved tougher than the previous, obliging both to fight in earnest, and for a longer time before Vegeta became impatient, finally taking Goten down by an attack of questionable fairness.

"And on anarchism, Zhuangzi said that 'the world doesn't need governing and should not be governed,'" Vegeta concluded, "'Because good things happen spontaneously when left alone.'" He himself added in a hushed tone, "In other words, everything eventually clicks into place. Unless you have an argument to that?"

Goten shook his head and tapped the mat in sign of defeat. "No, I have to agree with Zhuangzi," he admitted with a grin. He stood up slowly, glad that he himself wore loose-fitting pants.

The rest of their training picked up as usual. As he'd promised, Vegeta called an end a hours earlier than usual. "Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked Goten before he went to change.

"What?" Goten asked.

"My glove." Vegeta pointed to his glove, still tucked in the demi's belt.

"No, I'm keeping it," Goten informed him with a hint of a smile.

"I trust you have a good explanation." It was difficult to tell if Vegeta's voice was stern or amused.

"You gave it to me," Goten replied, "You issued me a challenge and I survived it, with the right answers. Zhuangzi would agree, also that I use my right hand more, so the left one could get cold."

"It's summer," Vegeta pointed out, but shook his head. "Alright, you earned it."

Goten smiled and went to change. He wondered why Vegeta did not join them, and when they emerged, he was nowhere to be found.

Noting his consternation, Trunks pointed out, "You don't think you're being kind of… overprotective?"

"No." Goten sat down casually on the couch with a cold water bottle. Maybe he was a little, but that wasn't quite the fitting word.

They were still laughing over the Zhuang Zhao challenge, and Vegeta did not take long to return, bringing a new bag to the table. "I like these. Help yourselves," he invited.

Goten recognized the bag, from a shop in the town nearest his house. It contained small bags of rice and seaweed chips that were popular in his region. "I could've brought some of those on the way, Vegeta-san," Goten pointed out, watching his face for clues.

"I didn't think of it," Vegeta brushed off, but gave no ulterior signals.

The demis shrugged, not ones to decline a free snack. They talked casually for a time, then Goten glanced at his watch.

"Well, you said you want some quiet time" Goten said to Vegeta, standing with his backpack.

"You're quiet." Vegeta seemed to just remember what he'd said. "Of course."

Goten put on Vegeta's glove, smiling, then waved with that hand as he left.

"What?" Vegeta demanded at Trunks' openly amused look.

"Nothing at all."

As soon as he landed in his yard, Goten raced to the mailbox, smiling to see the flag lowered. He checked under the rock, seeing his note had been taken, and replaced with a new one. His smile widening, he read it as he walked back to the house. This time in simply printed letters, it read:

 _Sure, muse. Glad you like it._

 _(Wouldn't you like to know...)_

 _XX_

Goten's smile widened. That was a lot of trouble for a bag of snacks, though it was also true that they were one of Vegeta's favorites. What he needed now was a plan.

Though it was quite worth it, Vegeta's quiet time for his new hobby brought many questions from his family.

"Everyone else can change their mind like other people change shirts," he'd returned flatly, "I change my mind, then I must have head trauma."

For the next few days, training passed as it used to, excepting its shortened length, and both Vegeta and Trunks were happy to see Goten acting like himself again.

Every other day, the mailbox flag was raised, his clue under the rock, and a new story chapter was left in a different location. Goten was completely subjugated by the heated story, at the same time plotting to catch the mystery writer. The only constant was the clue, and he realized his error in setting expected traps there.

One day, ChiChi complained, "Goten, do you know who keeps playing with the mailbox flag? There's never anything in it besides our regular mail."

"Dunno," Goten replied, "Probably just some kids." Other than that, his mother seemed content, as his situation had improved.

He went back to pacing in his room. There had been no story that day, but tomorrow… _Think,_ he prompted himself.

The first had been left under the rock, the second in a small windmill not far, the third in the BBQ grill… of course! Earth, Air, Fire… Goten smiled, suspecting that his treasure hunt would be easier on the morrow. The pattern could be a coincidence, but he didn't believe in coincidence, only synchronicity. Or a false trail.

Goten was up before dawn, most unusual for him on a Saturday morning. He had no idea when his mysterious admirer would strike, but they clearly knew his schedule. Logically, it could most likely wait until he returned from training, and it was in no one's interest for his mother to find it. To her attention, he wrote a note signaling that he'd already left, which she would find on awakening.

He left out the door this time, and snuck out to the mailbox to set another trap, an almost cartoonishly obvious one with a seeming attempt at cleverness. As always, he added a precise mix of heavily peppered spices to repell any unfortunate animals, then flew the short distance to inspect the probable site.

Goten added three meaningless 'clues' of his own, and slid into a narrow space between two foothills next to the nearby stream that would hide himself as well as his ki, then settled back for a nap. Out here, he could pick up the ki of a mouse if he wished. A person would not stand a chance. There was but a slim chance of it happening so early, so he thought it over again before his catnap. He would simply return after training, and would have to be fast.

A half hour later, Goten was startled from his nap by the presence of a ki, one that was very powerful and very near.

Sure that his target was distracted, he peeked over the edge and understood what the lone figure was doing by the small footbridge of the stream - he'd picked up the false clues in the wrong order. Smirking to himself, Goten silently sprung out to make his move.

Trying to figure out the strange code - the first few lines from _The Raven_ \- Vegeta had just the time to comprehend that he'd found them in the wrong order when strong arms grabbed him from behind, one hand clamped over his mouth. He flinched in panic, dropping the clues.

"Gotcha, little fish!" Goten declared triumphantly from behind. Vegeta looked as though he might faint from shock, relief, or both, so Goten gently turned him around. "Is that a new chapter for me?" he asked, shyly now.

"Maybe," Vegeta replied, his dark eyes gleaming, "Do you have a new manga for me?" He could not hold back a smirk at Goten's priceless expression.

Goten nodded, grinning. "You'll have to come get it."

"That is a great idea." Taking Goten's offered arm, he flew the short distance with him to the roof of the house.

"You know the way." Goten opened the window and followed Vegeta in, closing it behind them.

An awkward moment passed, each of them torn between sudden shyness and desire. Goten placed his hands gingerly on his shoulders. "You know I want all that. But first, I…" His eyes locked with Vegeta's, and his mind went blank.

"…understand," Vegeta finished. His arms closed around Goten's waist to pull him close, and their lips connected automatically. It was a far cry from the scenarios they depicted, but their first real kiss caused warm thrills to course through them entirely.

Goten squeezed him to hold tightly, sighing when Vegeta did the same. At that moment, that was all he wanted. Sensing it, Vegeta sat on the bed and held him in his lap for a long, soft makeout. "I hoped it was you," Goten admitted. Despite his hormones in overdrive, Goten's eyes held an innocence that the Hindus called sattvic, a purity capable of alighting the dark corners of the mind whose eyes he beheld. Strangely, it did not make Vegeta uncomfortable, as there was no judgment or wariness in them, only an understanding he'd never encountered.

"I wasn't going to let anyone read it," Vegeta told him, feeling his cheeks blush red, "But it was only fair, since yours inspired me."

"How did you even know to find them?" Goten asked, though it ceased to matter as desire-drunken as he was.

"It was poking me in the back," Vegeta replied dryly, "I was just going to move it. I don't know what made me look."

"Hn." Goten closed his eyes, liking the way Vegeta played with his hair while he started kissing him again.

Vegeta's head was spinning with desire and bewilderment. He'd never felt hair so soft, and could not remember the last time he'd felt anything like he did now. Had he ever?

Goten's insatiable lust was kicking in, which elated him to no longer need to hide. So was Vegeta's, he realized. There was still some initial shyness, but now that it had begun, they were not going anywhere. Goten glanced at the new envelope and back at Vegeta, torn between the two. It was not like he had to choose.

Noticing, Vegeta smirked. "Yeah, I know. You said you also have an update?"

Goten grinned, blushing at his turn. Reluctantly he moved from Vegeta's lap and opened his secret panel, taking out his yellow notebook to where he'd left off.

Laughing now at the irony, they traded, both sprawling facedown on the pillow to eagerly pounce on their updates.

"Do you realize we're reading our own porn?" Vegeta looked torn between puzzlement and hysterical laughter.

"Yes!" Goten slung an arm happily around Vegeta, who returned the gesture, and they dove in.

The next half hour was one of silence as each greedily devoured what he deemed to be the other's work of art.

Vegeta smiled secretly to see an upgrade in Goten's drawings. In the previous ones, which were very explicit, there had been nothing about preparation. He seemed to presume his senpai would know what to do, though Vegeta had not been able to prevent himself from thinking, ouch. He'd made sure to include a detailed passage of it in his story, and he could see the demi Saiyan had caught on.

Goten glanced over to see what caught his attention, and hid his face. "Yeah, thanks for clearing that up." Remembering, he commented dryly, "That happened in a dream, but I thought you were just purposely driving me insane."

"That, too," Vegeta replied nonchalently, then looked up. "You mean exactly a week ago tonight?"

"Yeah." They exchanged a glance of surprise. "I didn't know that was possible."

"Me, neither." Vegeta had given up asking questions, and they went back to their reading. He lightly stroked Goten's back, both turned on and ready to explode at that point.

When they'd finished reading, Goten slipped the notebook and manuscript into the drawer of his nightstand. Their shyness having evaporated, he pounced on his senpai for a heated kiss.

Not at all minding being pinned beneath the demi Saiyan, Vegeta's legs instinctively wrapped around him. Their works expressed their agreement on Vegeta being the dominant of them, only a couple of scenes in Goten's manga depicting a change of roles, but it hit Vegeta then just how much he appreciated them. Both groaned deliriously at the real friction of their mutual hardness, and Vegeta exclaimed in surprise at the forbidden thrill coursing through him when Goten roughly held down his wrists.

"I don't know about fish," Goten voiced with a lusty smirk, "But I think you would enjoy this, too. Am I right?" His tongue traced the contour of his ear, feeling him squirm yearningly beneath him.

Vegeta nodded mutely, his breathing shortened to halting pants of anticipation. "With you, sure," he whispered back, "But first…" He flipped Goten over to pin down his wrists in the same way, his tongue slipping meangfully between his lips.

The demi Saiyan's eyes clouded with lust, his back arching encouragingly.

With his eyes half closed, Vegeta was quite ready to forget everything else, but it occurred to him that he hadn't planned on this happening just yet. "Wait," he told him, stopping the demi's hand when it began to wander South, "Nobody knows I left, even less where I am. What about you?"

Those details just then dawned on Goten, who thought fast. "I left a note. When my mom wakes up at about nine, she'll think I already left. I'll have to pretend to get back." He took his phone from his nightstand and clicked 'mask number'. "You can call them whenever." He hesitated. "If you'll stay, I mean." He looked down, shielding his thoughts.

"Of course." Vegeta lifted his face. "Goten, you're not just a plaything to me," he stated seriously. To the many questions in the demi Saiyan's eyes, he replied, "Don't fall into the trap of seeing life in black and white like so many do, because it really isn't."

"I know." Goten gazed into his eyes, perfectly content to drown in their depths.

"That means no worries allowed," Vegeta specified with a secretive smirk, "'I have ways of making you forget them entirely,'" he seductively echoed a passage of his latest update.

"Show me." Goten went limp in his embrace, beyond caring that his expression was certainly as slutty as his senpai's story suggested.

Vegeta glanced at his bedside digital clock. "How much time do we have?"

Goten also looked back at it. "About three hours."

"Perfect." He shoved Goten back onto his pillow. "Easy at first, though," he warned him realistically.

"Is that an order?" Goten asked coyly.

"Yes, it is," Vegeta told him with a dark look, "I'm going to take my time with you. Now, undress like you do when you think no one's looking."

Goten blushed at such implications, but obeyed, shivering with lust at his shamelessly lascivious way of looking at him. Vegeta again shoved him roughly back onto his pillow, surprising him when the heat of four glowing ki rings cinched tightly around his widely spread wrists and ankles. He felt his arousal jerk approvingly at their fantasy becoming real, as well as at his dark eyes that shone with lust.

"Did I say you could look at me, little bitch?" Vegeta's voice was contrastingly soft and smooth before he dealt him a few bitch slaps, making the demi Saiyan groan lustily, shaking his head.

Vegeta abruptly forgot it, capturing his lips in a sexy kiss while stroking his hair. His hands and mouth moved slowly down Goten's body, the inviting contact of his soft, burning skin causing his head to spin.

The demi Saiyan had many talents, though being quiet was not one of them. He was punished several times with the slaps he liked, which temporarily silenced him. Vegeta would get only so close to where he so obviously need him before teasingly moving away, making tears of frustration leak from his eyes. "Vegeta, please!" he finally appealed, trembling violently.

Vegeta forgave him this time, squeezing his hip understandingly. When Goten swore he could stand no more, Vegeta asked innocently, "Oh, you want something? Why didn't you just say so?"

Goten thought he was going to scream, then felt Vegeta's warm, soothing tongue lash up the underside of his painful hardness. It took all his efforts to stifle his pleasured sobs, and the fullblooded Saiyan's knowing tongue instinctively found all the right places. Licks turned to gentle sucking all around the length of his turgid shaft, making Goten's eyes nearly cross before he screwed them shut, his head thrown back in the midst of pained, relentless ecstasy.

Vegeta was conscient of Goten's trembling body and inexperience, knowing he should not be pushing him so far yet, but could not get enough of him. His own loins were on fire, his erection strained painfully against his tight spandex, but he'd waited so long for this…

His hand clamped over his mouth did little now to stop Goten's pleading sob, so he engulfed his burning length as much as he could into his mouth, his hand closed around the rest. He was rewarded by a gratefully pleasured moan, and was all too happy to bring the fantasy to life. His perfectly sucking mouth brought his lover closer to the coveted precipise, his only desire being to topple over it.

"Yes! Ohmygod, yes!" Goten panted deliriously, pulling hard at the ki rings he knew would only cinch tighter, that being part of it. Almost almost…

But Vegeta chose that moment to slow down, then stop his exquisite manipulations. Goten nearly screamed in frustration, surprised when the ki rings vanished. "Vegeta, you are evil!" he declared reproachfully, still trembling.

"Thank you," Vegeta replied with a confirmative smirk, "Here's the deal, no cheating - if you suck me good enough, I'll finish you." He whispered conspiratorily, "As though I could doubt you," with a sweet kiss. "You may undress me."

Smiling to himself, Goten distracted him with a kiss before removing his shirt, then pushed him onto his back at his turn. "Now I really get to," he exclaimed happily, and Vegeta understood why he'd left his spandex on. For real now, Goten slid down to enlace him around the waist, adoringly brushing his lips over his very obvious erection that now looked painful.

Brushing became passionate kissing, and Vegeta approvingly stroked his hair, his eyes shining. He'd had no idea how good that actually felt, but was now purring ecstatically. He relaxed with a sigh, his eyes closed, sighs turning to moans when his spandex and undershorts were removed, the same thing done directly on his burning skin. His eyes opened in confusion when Goten pushed his arms up, suddenly understanding when the heat of the ki rings cinched around his own wrists and ankles.

"I didn't say you could do that!" he exclaimed in sudden panic, but Goten placed a finger over his lips.

"I know." Goten's voice was strangely reassuring, a startling contrast to the dark gleam in his eyes. "But it feels so much nicer… so much more intense."

An involuntary shudder of lust passed through Vegeta. He did have a maso streak, which he'd only indirectly hinted at. Goten understood, he realized, staring into his depthless black eyes. His eyes closed as Goten returned the same 'favor'. Except, he realized when Goten had him at his turn reduced to a trembling, wanton mass, his groans and cries were ones of approval. Of course, he had more patience and experience, but the demi Saiyan had brought to light a facet he hadn't known was there, or more likely, dismissed. Though, when Goten had him engulfed in his burning mouth, once he'd pushed him beyond his limit in payback, he brought him to sweet release.

In his trembling throes of ecstasy, Vegeta had no idea of what he'd been saying, but he literally saw stars when he came so hard in Goten's mouth he felt faint, lying relaxed and blissful albeit some residual trembling in his sparkling afterglow.

Recovering quickly, he took his place back over Goten. "Do you like it better with or without bondage?" he asked.

Surprised to be asked, Goten blushed before admitting, "With."

Vegeta granted his wish, his mouth going back to work. Knowing him to be more sensitive now, Vegeta's contact was gentler before bringing him to a graceful climax, now seeing an entire glalaxy. Yet, it was not time to rest, and his knowing tongue had him as hard as himself again, and wanting it more than ever before releasing him.

Vegeta had just remembered something, looking around in confusion. Guessing, Goten reached into the back of his drawer, and produced a tube of lubricant, amused at Vegeta's surprise. "Show me," he invited seductively.

"Will you panic if you're bound?" Vegeta inquired.

Having wanted it for so long, Goten shook his head. "I trust you."

"No one ever told me that before," Vegeta reflected aloud, again looking differently at Goten.

A few minutes later, Goten's wrists were back in ki rings, while Vegeta's understanding fingers gently stretched him, easily finding his sweet spot. He could tell by his reactions when to withdraw, wait, or continue, until he became accustomed to it. Sooner than he'd thought, his scissoring fingers had him in the throes of blinding ecstasy. He enjoyed watching his face contort with pleasure, drawing it out longer than he should until the demi Saiyan was again pleading for release.

"You think you're ready?" Vegeta asked with a teasing wink.

"Vegeta, I swear–!" Goten began, his eyes widening when he felt Vegeta's well-lubricated length begin to slowly enter him.

"Shh." Vegeta held him reassuringly with one hand while the other guided him in, again watching for the same signals. Again faster than he'd thought, Goten clamored for more, exclaiming in extatic impatience when Vegeta only slowly gave it to him. His sadistic streak demanded no less than Goten sobbing wantonly for more, though his virgin tightness contracting uncontrollably around his throbbing length was driving him insane.

Suddenly between heavy, lusty panting, Goten told him, "Unbind me, Vegeta. Please." His needful expression was earnest, and questioningly, Vegeta did. Goten immediately wrapped his arms and legs tightly around him, and after that, the rest paled. Both climbed the last few inches, trembling, sweating, and each muffling their pleasured cries against the other.

"You're mine, Goten," Vegeta managed before giving in to his primitive instinct, his sharp teeth sinking into the side of Goten's neck, and tasting his blood. It was the final notch that sent them both over the edge, shuddering with screams that emerged instead as soft groans of release. If anything in existence felt better than that… it could not, they decided, before collapsing in a breathless heap. Neither moved for a long time afterward, understanding well why it was called afterglow.

"You okay?" Vegeta asked when they recovered, their eyes shining.

Goten nodded, pulling Vegeta close again. "Gods Vegeta, I…" He was speechless, which spoke more than anything he could say.

"I know." Vegeta brushed a sweaty lock of Goten's hair from his flushed, angelic face. He was so… well, sweet, though it was not a word he would use, so it remained indescribable to him. Whatever it was about Goten, he knew that he could no longer do without him.

Later, Vegeta could not ignore the yearning that burned within him, and Goten had taken him as well, quenching something he hadn't known was there, but now demanded fair recognition.

Both were ridiculously happy, and having set the alarm, they hid their updates in Goten's secret panel, showered, made the bed, then left by the window before nine o'clock.

Not knowing what else to do, they flew back to Capsule Corp. Vegeta entered first, and Goten knocked a half hour later. Only Trunks was at home, as well as his grandfather, who was busy in the lab.

Goten held up a bag from the snack shop they'd stopped at on the way, dropping it on the table. "I brought snacks," he told them with a grin.

"It's good you're here," Vegeta commented casually to Goten in Trunks' presence, "I wanted to let you both know, you get today off training. I have something to do."

"Oh. Okay," Goten replied in feigned surprise.

"Sure," Trunks replied in a knowing tone, seeming less surprised.

Vegeta and Goten kept an air of usual nonchalence in conversation, as well as a normal, repectful distance. Wanting to ask Vegeta something in discretion, Goten secretly kept a wary eye on Trunks. He'd been giving them strange looks, so perhaps it was better to wait. Goten caught Vegeta's regard, and he nodded in agreement.

Rolling his eyes at the unnecessary pretenses, Trunks finally said, "Hey, don't mind me. By the way, nice memoirs, 'Senpai'."

Goten paled, though put on a blank look, but Vegeta calmly replied, "Thank you. By the way, when I put back your books - your drawing of Android #17 would be cute, if I didn't have to imagine him able to grow tentacles. And since you like my writing, I'd rephrase your note. A Saiyan prince would never deign to say things like–" He glanced at Goten, who'd raised a curious eyebrow. "Don't mind me," he concluded.

"I also think his memoirs are awesome," Goten added with an innocent smile, taking Vegeta's arm.

As though on cue, a vaguely familiar voice called, "Trunks, have you seen my–" Android 17 appeared, wearing a pair of Trunks' Capsule Corp issued pyjamas and his own bandana, considerably loosened to match his disheveled hair.

17's eyes widened, and Trunks looked helplessly from 17 to his father and Goten as a confirmed couple, not knowing which was worse, then covered his face. "Oh gods."

Seeing 17 eyeing Goten with interest, Vegeta slid a possessive arm around him. "He's mine, Android," he growled, then glanced at Trunks. "And he's just _my son._ "

"I know," 17 replied calmly, asking Goten, "Is it true you're a manga-ka?"

"Not exactly," Goten replied, "Is it true you can grow tentacles?"

"No," 17 replied in amusement, glancing at Vegeta's horrified expression, "But your partner's face is making me wish I could." Trunks elbowed his side, and the strange group looked uneasily at one another.

"Stalemate?" Goten asked with a nervous grin, met by three grudgingly unanimous nods.

"For better or worse," 17 replied, muttering to Trunks, "I told you we should've gone to my place."

Vegeta and Goten exchanged a glance with a nod. "Your place," Vegeta agreed.

TBC in Chapter 4….


	4. Chapter 4

Eager to get out of Capsule Corp, Vegeta and Goten left half their snacks for present company, and decided to go for a walk. Somewhere quiet and away from civilization was Vegeta's only concern.

When he deemed them far enough away, Goten asked, "I guess you still hate the Androids?"

"We aren't at war anymore, but I don't trust them." Vegeta scowled. "Tell me the truth. Did you know about him and Trunks?"

"Not at all," Goten replied honestly, "I've met him like, twice. He's uncomfortable around many people, but seemed okay. People change," he pointed out lightly.

"That's obviously how Trunks sees it," Vegeta muttered, but refrained from commenting on the twins' past intention.

"Think of it this way," Goten plotted with a sly smile, "He looked like he just got up. As we speak, he has to listen to Trunks whine about us."

Vegeta paused, in his way of staring at nothing in particular before bursting out laughing, finding that mental image hilarious. It was contagious, and both were laughing hard, leaned against a tree. Vegeta's hand clutched his rib. "Ouch," he exclaimed when they'd calmed.

"I wonder how far Trunks read in your 'memoirs' before he stopped reading, and dropped it like a hot potato?" Goten added, starting them laughing again.

"Cut it out!" Vegeta clutched both sides now, and they gave up and sat on the ground, waiting for ease of breathing to return.

"It really wasn't that funny, was it?" Goten commented.

Vegeta clamped his hand over Goten's mouth. "Stop speaking. Just stop."

Goten smiled, inspired otherwise, though it would have to wait. "We're tired," he clarified, "We've been up for a long time, we're exhausted, and we need to sleep. For real, I mean."

"Yes, and this place is perfect," Vegeta observed, smoothing the plush, green grass. He layed down under the large Maple tree that gave them plenty of shade, and closed his eyes.

"You're right." Goten set his phone alarm, and curled up next to Vegeta. Within a few short minutes, both were sound asleep.

Goten's phone alarm went off near early evening, finding them clear and rested. Checking the time, they leisurely stretched before flying off to the general area of the Sons' home.

They stopped first at a Chinese takeout, leaving with enough food for a large family.

"I didn't know you could afford that much," Goten commented, having seen the receipt. It was quite an expensive restaurant.

"Because you don't know what percentage of Capsule Corp is mine," Vegeta replied lightly.

Goten chewed his lip nervously. "If you're really serious about me, I don't think telling Bulma will be as funny."

Vegeta was quiet for a moment. "I told her yesterday," he admitted, "Actually, she and Trunks guessed a long time ago, it seems. And of course I'm serious, baka."

Goten watched him grimly. "So, I guess she hates me now?"

"No, she doesn't hate either of us. You could probably tell, things haven't been the same for a long time."

"I guess so," Goten agreed, somewhat relieved, but not wishing to delve into his past personal business. "My dad will probably be cool about it. Only my mother to worry about for now, then."

"I think the best is to just tell her," Vegeta reasoned, "Sneaking around will get old fast."

"Definitely," Goten agreed with a heavy sigh, spotting his house from their distance, "Soon, then. Speaking of which, take this through… gah, you know the drill… while I pretend to get back." He handed Vegeta the larger sack.

"Yeah, I know," he confirmed with a dry smile, "Hurry back."

"I will," Goten promised, and they separated.

Making sure Goten's room was empty, Vegeta let himself in through the window, setting his duffel bag on the floor, and their food on the desk. He sat in an armchair and looked around at the room. Various posters of rock bands, anime, and luxury cars adorned the walls of a modest room, but it was comfortable, and decoration didn't matter to him. He spaced out in boredom, hoping Goten would hurry.

"I'm home, Mom," Goten called as he let himself in. He found ChiChi in the kitchen, reading a novel.

She looked up at his presence. "Ah, there you are. Is that food in the bag?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, we ate Chinese takeout for dinner, so I brought you some," Goten replied cheerfully, "You won't have to cook."

"That's thoughtful of you," ChiChi commented, "Sit down, then."

"Oh, it's just for you," Goten said quickly, "My new manga's out, and I waited all day to read it."

"Okay, I see now," ChiChi replied in dry humor, "Hurry and go read it, then."

"Cool." Goten grinned and hurried upstairs, startling Vegeta from his reverie.

"Finally," Vegeta declared, "I'm starved!"

Goten pulled up a chair. "So am I."

They dug in silently, and the food disappeared at a speed that would make Goku proud.

Goten opened his fortune cookie to read his fortune, and suddenly cracked up laughing. At Vegeta's questioning look, he simply passed him the message. It read:

 _Life is limited, while knowledge is unlimited._

Vegeta began laughing as hard, wondering when the last time was that he'd laughed as much. The demi Saiyan had many strange effects on him, he found.

"How about yours?" Goten asked when they'd calmed, wiping tears from near hysterical laughter.

"Let's see…" Vegeta pulled out his own fortune and read it. "Nothing special," he commented, then changed his mind. "Look - the numbers, I mean!"

Indeed, the message read:

 _"The wise man remains true to himself. Lucky numbers: 5, 10, 25._

"Whoa!" Goten exclaimed, "And we are the twenty-fifth."

"Yeah, and I told you 510 were also my lucky numbers," Vegeta reminded him, "I legitimately stole them."

Goten smiled to himself, and they left to clean up. Luckily, the bathroom was right next to his bedroom, so there was no risk of bad surprises.

Back in his room, Vegeta asked, "Does your mother leave you alone when you've retired for the night?"

"Yeah," Goten assured him, "She wakes me up if I oversleep, but not on Sunday morning. All's cool," he assured him confidently.

"Good," Vegeta commented, "Temporarily sneaking beats… I don't even want to think about it."

"They probably don't, either, about us," Goten reasoned, "Trunks seems happy, so I think it's okay. But I can talk to him to make sure." Vegeta nodded, but seeing his look, Goten added lightly, "Krillin's wife told us drawing's his hobby. But it was you he was looking at."

"That was just so he knows who he's dealing with, now," Vegeta concluded, his voice suggesting the subject closed.

"Well, I am good at making you think of nicer topics," Goten commented in his less than subtle manner.

"That's true," Vegeta acknowledged, pulling him close now that they were alone and no longer tired.

A few hours later, they were tired again in time for a very late sleep. Outside logical noise reduction, this time differed vastly from their traded fantasies by simpler lovemaking.

Vegeta sensed that it was what Goten needed more at that moment. They were synchronized in just about everything, Vegeta marveled, watching Goten drift off to sleep. His hand playing with his hair made that easy, both of them sated and purring softly.

An first late night, to be followed by a luxuriously late sleep-in. It made Vegeta wish they still had tails, rendered but a fleeting thought. Goten played with Vegeta's hair in the same way, sartisfied at putting him in the same dowsy state. He could easily get used to this, was the thought of each before they contentedly fell into the arms of Morpheus.

The next morning proved to be late, as they wished, but luxurious was not quite the word.

 _"Goten...? Vegeta...? ... PLEASE_ tell me this isn't what it looks like!" ChiChi had paled, and dropped Goten's clean laundry that she'd put off doing the day before, unable to process what she beheld.

Both shirtless with each one bare foot and a partial leg outside the sheet, Goten's head was peacefully on Vegeta's shoulder, the latter's arm draped loosely around his back. Both were abruptly jolted from their hazy sleep.

"Huh?" Goten's eyes opened slowly, like Vegeta's.

"I thought you locked the door," Vegeta mumbled under his breath to Goten.

"I thought I did," Goten mumbled back. In annoyance, he said to ChiChi, "Yes, we were asleep. Not anymore. Don't you know how to knock?"

"Well, excuse me, I didn't know you had company," ChiChi retorted sarcastically, "I can see you were asleep! Would you care to come downstairs, decently clothed, and fill me in?"

"Not really," Goten replied in a calm voice that was slowly bottling an internal Molotov cocktail. "Remember I'm an adult now?"

Vegeta firmly but subtly squeezed his arm in a gesture to be calm, but said levelly, "That is true, ChiChi."

"So, he's eighteen and fair game," ChiChi turned on Vegeta, "Which gives you every right to seduce my youngest, huh?"

"Well, according to local Earth laws–" Vegeta began, but a warning look from Goten told him not to appeal to her with logic, just yet.

"Just know that if you throw him out, you throw me out, too," Goten challenged, his voice more calm than he actually was.

ChiChi looked horrified. "Who said anything about that? I… I just don't know what to think right now." Flustered, she placed Goten's folded clothes on his dresser as always, and picked up her laundry basket. "Okay, you're adults. So, as soon as you're… prepared… come down and talk like ones."

"Coffee ready?" Goten asked hopefully.

"Is there ever not?" ChiChi left the room quietly, having spoken the truth. She had no idea of what to think.

When she'd left, Vegeta asked, "Was she questioning my adulthood as well?"

A half hour later, having showered and dressed, Goten and Vegeta joined ChiChi in the kitchen. She was unexpectedly quiet, automatically setting the coffee pot, mugs, with sugar and milk on the table.

The three of them wordlessly served themselves, all appearing as an otherwise ordinary day. The duo had expected anger, but ChiChi seemed more confounded than anything else.

Finally she spoke up. "There's no reason to point out the obvious, but when were you planning on telling me? Or not at all, if it's just a little fling?"

Vegeta saw it for himself to respond. "It's not just a fling, and soon. A bit like this, without the element of surprise," he replied dryly.

ChiChi nodded. "At least. Since when has it gone on? I guess you weren't just kindly taking care of him last weekend," she commented coldly to Goten.

"Officially, since yesterday." Goten blinked, as time had been relative to him lately.

"I see." ChiChi's expression changed. Clearly she'd been prepared to yell at them, and now only looked more confused.

"If it's any consolation, I know how you feel," Vegeta added, "Trunks is also seeing someone I don't approve of."

ChiChi opened her mouth to inquire, but closed it, having what she saw as her share of drama. Though she looked at him curiously. "It's not that I don't 'approve' of you, Vegeta. Even if the thought of Goten seeing another guy is wierd to me. But I think you can understand my first question of your intentions toward him."

"Like any normal relationship," Vegeta explained simply, though uncomfortably.

"Mom," Goten cut in with a pointed look.

"It's true that lodging seems awkward," Vegeta acknowledged, "But I have my own capsule house, and I know a good place."

ChiChi glanced at Goten, suddenly chagrined at the thought of him leaving home. "Where?"

"The edge of Kasumi Forest," Goten replied, "It's quiet, with a nice view."

"Kasumi-Mori with the waterfall?" she asked. Both nodded. "True, it's not far from here," she mused, looking at least slightly relieved.

Their interrogation didn't last as long as they'd dreaded. Yes, Bulma and Trunks knew, no conflicts were involved, some elusive whys and wherefores, no, Goten was not clinically depressed, etcetera, etcetera.

"Well," ChiChi concluded, "You have what's important. It's strange having a son-in-law who's older than me, but you don't look or act like it," she told Vegeta cheerfully.

"Most Earthlings would take that as a compliment," Goten prompted amusedly at Vegeta's expression.

With her back turned to them, ChiChi stifled a snicker despite herself. A table full of fresh pancakes would keep them still for awhile, she knew.

"You're welcome to stay here and take your time," she invited them after a long silence, "Got any plans today?"

"Not really," Goten replied, "I just wanted to talk to Trunks."

"Well, I have nothing to say to the other," Vegeta affirmed stubbornly, "Just let me know if anything's wrong."

ChiChi brought the Maple syrup and sat down with them. "Sometimes people deserve a second chance," she added pointedly to Vegeta, "Circumstances turn them into someone they aren't, and when it's gone, the false layers peel away like onion skins. Not always, but sometimes."

Vegeta found a mouthful of food to be a good excuse to say nothing, and Goten dug in as well.

They must burn off their calories while they swallow them, ChiChi figured, though she discretely considered Vegeta. The vision of his arm closed protectively around Goten as they slept did not match her first impressions of him, at all. But he was thinking, she noted with satisfaction. Yet another Son decidedly liked Vegeta, though she hadn't meant to.

The duo waited until after lunch to leave for Capsule Corp. The Sons' home was small, but it was quiet, Vegeta approved.

En route, Vegeta flatly told Goten, "I said I'm not talking to the Android, and I'm not. Trunks knows you're unbiased."

"I'm not so sure," Goten confided, "He probably assumes I'll repeat everything to you."

"If he asks you not to, then don't," Vegeta replied simply, "My only concern is his safety, in more ways than one."

"Got it." Before landing, Goten paused. "It's wierd that Bulma and Trunks weren't angry."

"Somehow they already knew," Vegeta replied, "It was me who didn't know what to do." Vegeta was still embarrassmed that anyone would notice.

"I told you, it was perfect." Goten enlaced him tightly, very much wanting his fix. "And I'm still sure you wanted me to catch you. We haven't done yet what you promised."

Goten's heated kiss was not making it easy to think clearly. "It's been a day," Vegeta stated, "Don't work me up now." He would rather get another near concussion than the demi's reproachful look, but promised, "After, okay?" The demi Saiyan nodded, but left Vegeta to wonder how he managed to wrap him around his little finger so easily.

When they landed, they knocked to avoid any unfortunate surprises, relieved when Trunks opened the door in normal clothing.

"Hey, c'mon in," he bade them cheerfully, leading them to the kitchen. He handed them each a fresh can of mango juice, but Vegeta did an abrupt about-face at a certain fourth presence.

"Sheesh," 17 commented to Goten, "He seemed to be in a good mood before you landed."

"Well, yeah," Goten feigned ignorance, taking a sip of juice.

The three of them spoke casually for a few minutes, before Goten asked to talk to Trunks. "I didn't have time all week," he told 17, who assured him it was cool.

When the demi Saiyans disappeared into the office, 17 smiled. Nothing said to him 'follow me' louder than one who purposely avoided him.

"Okay," Goten began, "All Vegeta wants to know is if 17 treats you well and is good to you. I think he is, so bear with me so I can reassure him. He didn't ask me to talk to you, he knows I never repeat what I'm told in confidence, this is no exception, and he truly doesn't want to know anything personal. Are we cool?"

"Wow." Trunks was staring at him, knowing that definitely wasn't BS. "Yeah, we're cool. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing personal, either," Goten explained, "Just normal stuff I wonder why you didn't tell me before. How long have you been seeing 17, how'd you meet…?"

Trunks grinned. "Almost a year."

"What? A year, and you said nothing to your best friend?" Goten demanded indignantly.

"It wasn't like that," Trunks protested, "Keeping it secret made it… well, special." Much like his father, his cheeks blushed to say so aloud. "I met him at Kame House, then kept running into him everywhere. Once, I went fishing, not knowing he lived nearby, and he invited me in. He never does that. We became buddies, but I was head over heels, and started purposely running into him. One day, it happened - the look, the kiss, and voilà."

Goten smiled. "That's a nice story.."

Trunks grinned. "If I didn't have to know who you are, I'd think the same."

Goten shook his head. "Asshat."

"I guess. Mom and Grandma took Bulla to an amusement park, so the house is ours this weekend," Trunks explained, "Have you guys told your mom yet?"

Goten cringed. "Not exactly, she found out. Luckily we were only asleep."

"No way!" Trunks' jaw dropped. "Man, it sucks to be you."

"Not really," Goten recounted, "She took it pretty well, even offered to let us stay there. We'll set up our own place, though." He paused. "With you in college and all, how do you guys handle being so far? I couldn't."

"We don't," Trunks confided with a mysterious smile, "We just change places a lot."

Goten wasn't worried, and would see that Vegeta wasn't, either.

17 found Vegeta in the living room, facing the window. His arms were crossed, but he didn't look angry. "So, you still hate me, you don't like me seeing your son, or both?" he asked.

"It's nothing personal, Android," Vegeta replied crisply, "I just have no reason to trust you."

17 rolled his eyes. "Well. If you're gonna dig up history, I could say the same thing. I can tell you're a different person now, but if you can't see the same in me…" His voice trailed off, and his face looked rather bitter.

"What do you even care what I think?" Vegeta asked, though without his typical sarcasm, "Trunks can do what he wants."

Now 17 turned his back. "Goten's really cool, but I think he doesn't talk to me much to not offend you. As Trunks' best friend, that's an awkward position to be in."

"I don't tell him who he can or can't talk to," Vegeta declared.

"No, but he adores you. Like I have to say any more." He remained staring out the same window.

"So, entertain me," Vegeta invited sarcastically, "What part of my 'memoirs' did you think were the funniest?"

"I didn't see them," 17 replied, surprised at the question, "Trunks said he found a first page in some gadget that wasn't deleted. He thought it might be important, but when he saw who it concerned and where it was going, he quit reading and deleted it. It told him nothing new, but no one except Goten wanted to read it."

Vegeta looked up in equal surprise. "I wasn't snooping, either." It was all he could think of to say, but still watched the Android curiously.

"I know," 17 replied, "Actually, I think your system's cool. You guys kind of inspired us to do the same."

"Really?" Vegeta was intrigued, then remembered who he was talking to.

"Yeah, and since you guys are the closest to a family I'll ever get, I thought maybe we could do something crazy and, maybe talk normally? Trust issues I understand, and I'm not asking you to trust me."

Vegeta turned away again. "If I were missing a leg, I couldn't walk without some artificial support. Same deal."

"I know." 17's subdued tone made him look up. "And I can accept you. Can you do the same, nothing expected or asked?"

What ChiChi had said about some people changing, and her analogy returned to mind - she who'd given himself a chance - Goten's innocent eyes that saw only a new friend, and Trunks' drawing. It had been a normal, everyday look, except his expression. Especially his eyes, which he himself had found to be as indifferent as cameras. Not now. They held personality and depth, and shone brilliantly aquamarine. He nodded slowly. "Sure, A– 17."

With a tentative smile, 17 extended his hand. Vegeta clasped it, feeling oddly lighter in their declared peace.

Having waited in the hallway, Goten and Trunks looked relieved. Seeing them, Vegeta motioned them over, and they joined both their future mates.

The demi Saiyans had good reasons to be happy, as well as knowing they hadn't only made peace for them, but for themselves as well.

TBC in Chapter 5…


	5. Chapter 5

Among the strange group gathered in the spacious Capsule Corp living room, conversation was mostly encouraged by the demi Saiyans, between awkward pauses.

His head propped on his hand, Vegeta half listened as the other three discussed drawing techniques. "Have you guys been dabbling in the occult?" his bored voice wondered aloud.

"Huh?" Trunks stared blankly at his father, and Goten grinned. 17 only looked confused, deciding against inquiring.

The four of them looked up at a familiar noise outside, then the chime of the doorbell.

Trunks dutifully stood to go open the door. "Hello, ChiChi," he greeted, a surprised questioning evident in his voice.

"Hi, Trunks," ChiChi replied. "I brought the helicopter for its tune up today, like you asked," she reminded him, seeing the other three. "Oh, I didn't know you had a visit."

"It's no problem," Trunks said quickly, "It only takes a few minutes. Come in, sit down."

She took an overstuffed armchair near the couch. "Hello, 17," she greeted in turn, "I haven't seen you in years."

"Hello," 17 replied, visibly uncomfortable, "I'll just… give him a hand." He scampered to the kitchen, glad to help with the complicated task of pouring a cup of tea.

ChiChi glanced in the direction of the kitchen where the two had gone, then back at Goten and Vegeta. "I'm guessing you meant Number 17?"

Both nodded. "All's cool," Goten told her, which only confused her more.

She thought for a moment, then asked Vegeta, "Is that in your genes or something?"

"I don't know," Vegeta replied, "Saiyans might be more ambidextrous than humans." Goten stifled an unexpected burst of laughter, then whispered the corrected word. "Whatever," Vegeta sighed impatiently, but looked oddly relieved by ChiChi's presence.

Accompanied by 17, Trunks appeared with a cup of tea for ChiChi. "Thanks," she bade.

Trunks smiled and nodded. "Is the motor making that noise again?" he inquired of the helicopter.

"No, it's running much better," ChiChi assured him. Looking up, she asked, "Do you train as well, 17?"

"Nah, cyborgs don't need to," 17 reminded her.

"Oh. I was thinking your hair must get in your face a lot," ChiChi explained, "I could cut it for you, if you like."

17 shot her a piercing glare. "No one cuts my hair," he hissed fiercely.

ChiChi blinked. "Okay, just an offer. Goten never let me cut his, either, beyond that," she reflected.

"Thank the gods," Vegeta muttered drowsily. Goten yawned, obliviously curling up on his shoulder. They'd quickly became accustomed to napping at this hour.

"Don't be so shy, Goten," Trunks drawled, to 17's amusement.

"He's like a little cat," Vegeta commented, visibly wishing he could disappear. Apparently, the younger male didn't consider that to be part of his 'never in public' warning. He'd just noticed that one of the actual cats had snuck on his other side with the same idea, asleep on half his lap.

"There's no harm," ChiChi brushed off dryly, not exactly helping.

"Yeah, just kidding," Trunks added lightly. To ChiChi, he improvised, "I can take care of the tune-up now. A few minutes hooked up to the central computer will tell for sure."

"Actually, I also wanted to take a look at it," Vegeta added, "Something still sounds odd." He looked helplessly at Goten, who was already asleep.

Hesitating at the concern in his father's voice, Trunks agreed, "Okay. I'll get the main scan done, and you can check it later, before she leaves." Vegeta thought about it, and nodded.

"I want to see that new computer," ChiChi told them.

"I can help," 17 offered, "I fix my own engines all the time."

The second the three of them had left, Vegeta let himself drift off as well.

In the garage of the lab, which looked a bit like a space-age hangar, Trunks waited with 17 and ChiChi while the impressive-looking computer performed its analysis.

Various cables connected the motor and the other parts of the chopper to its scanner, which emitted a softly droning hum. Flashing lights and wavelength measurements, which only Trunks and 17 understood, flashed in different colors. They watched intently until a green light lit up with a beep, then printed out a results paper.

Trunks pulled it out to examine while 17 read over his shoulder, then announced tentatively, "It looks okay so far, but…"

"Wait a minute," 17 interrupted, pointing to a graph, "Wouldn't the blue ray at fifty degrees on this axon mean an anomaly?"

Skeptically, Trunks looked again at the graph, then frowned. "You're right. But where? The whole system checks out."

Having been warned to not mention the obsolete model in front of the Sons, 17 replied, "Because the noise your dad was talking about's coming from the muffler. Leave the scanner on a sec."

ChiChi looked cluelessly from one to the other, but understood that something was still wrong.

The two of them inspected the scanner intently. "But it looks fine," Trunks observed, "Zoom in a bit."

17 clicked on the screen, enlarging the muffler's image. "It looks okay now, but it's been altered."

Trunks clicked on more sections, and they examined the craft piece by piece. "Here." He zoomed in on another sector.

"The storage compartment?" 17 muttered, then asked, "Wait, what's that?"

ChiChi looked closely at the image. "That's one of Goten's tools. Why?"

The two males exchanged a dreaded glance, and Trunks crawled in to retrieve the object, holding it up curiously. "This is Goten's?" he asked ChiChi.

"Looks like it," she confirmed, "A month ago he fixed it when it made that noise."

"Tell me you're joking." Trunks had paled, rubbing his head.

"Why? What's wrong?" ChiChi began to worry at their incredulous looks.

17 took the improvised tool from Trunks. "It's partly a lawnmower muffler," he stated flatly, "It'd make a great silencer for my pistol, and was all that prevented your chopper from crashing, for now. He's James Bond in training, or what?" 17 was torn between being impressed or horrified.

Trunks was quiet for a moment, then looked back at ChiChi. "He did this, rather than tell us. Anyone who talks about my dad and his pride again, can take a look at that."

"I was hoping to keep it," 17 told him with a grin, "A silencer would be cool."

ChiChi did not share his humor. "Trunks, I understood enough to know our helicopter is screwed, and don't tell me again it's covered by the warranty, because I know it's not." ChiChi folded her arms stubbornly, her mouth pinched into a thin line.

Trunks nodded. "I can tell you the company's product quality is backed a hundred percent, and we can't let you leave in a dangerous vehicle. The truth is, that craft's been illegal for the last three months. A loaner, a new model, many things are possible. I mean no offense, ChiChi, but I think it's best you work it out with my dad now."

"As you wish, then." Clearly withholding her anger, ChiChi headed back to the house.

"They're both impossible!" Trunks exclaimed to 17, "Like one fucking capsule helicopter's gonna drive the company to bankruptcy."

"They're giving Vegeta some competition," 17 agreed, "Actually, what you said is perfect. Let him handle it now. Goten certainly won't argue with him. He isn't the one in charge, and it's obvious he hasn't had his hormone fix yet."

Seeing the brilliance of the idea, Trunks smiled slowly. "That's true."

"Also," 17 added, leaning close to whisper, "The same goes for you." He pulled him close by the shirt for a long kiss, then released him with a devious smirk.

"17, that's a low blow!" Trunks declared, his face blushing several shades of red.

"Thank you."

ChiChi waited outside for Trunks and 17 to join her, purposefully making more noise than necessary before going back in. The measure was unnecessary, however, as both Goten and Vegeta were sound asleep, as they'd left them.

A pile of small cats had joined what they saw as the nap group, having made a collective nest in their laps.

"That's what I call a cat-nap," 17 commented, making Trunks and ChiChi face-palm, though the sight was humorous.

The two Saiyans slowly opened their eyes to discover the warm source of comfort in their laps.

"Where did all these come from?" Vegeta muttered.

"Furbabies!" Goten exclaimed delightedly, reaching down to somehow pet them all.

"Didn't I tell you? One of the females had kittens," Trunks told them with a grin, "They've just been weaned, so we have to find homes for some."

"Can we keep one, Vegeta? Please?" Predictably, Goten looked at him, his eyes a sea of hope.

Vegeta groaned, glaring at Trunks.

"You were saying, about low blows?" 17 commented, he and ChiChi enjoying the scene.

"You say you want one, too?" Trunks asked innocently.

"Sure," 17 replied cheerfully, "Maybe two or three, if you can't find enough homes."

"You like animals, 17?" ChiChi asked.

"Better than most humans," 17 replied.

The black and white kittens and their mother had awakened, at first crossly at the disturbance, now happy with all the attention.

"You, too, ChiChi?" Trunks asked.

"The one in your lap likes you," 17 added.

"Me? Come on, I raised two boys, and all kinds of animals." She looked down at one she'd been instinctively petting.

"One's behind my head," Vegeta told Goten.

"I know, that's why I can't move," Goten replied. Both reached back, but couldn't get ahold of one that remained firmly perched on one shoulder each.

"See? It's them who pick you," 17 told them.

The tiny kitten crawled around to touch Vegeta's nose with its own, then rubbed its face against his cheek, purring approvingly. "What's it doing?" he asked.

"It likes you." Goten beamed, peeking under its tail. "She. It's a girl." She bumped her face against Goten's as well with a tiny meow. Her back was all black with a white belly, head to tail, with very precise looking white markings on her head.

Noticing, Vegeta touched her head with a finger, and gasped. "What are the odds?" he exclaimed.

"What?" Goten asked.

"The white parts on its head make the exact Saiyan crest," he explained incredulously.

Remembering that he'd once drew it to show him and Trunks, Goten stared at the tiny ball of fur. "Whoa! You see, she's destined to be ours," he appealed to Vegeta, "I'll take care of it," he promised.

"That's what Bulla said of its mother, and guess who had to clean up its messes," Vegeta complained, "And it's a female, that will have more furballs."

"Me and Gohan always took care of our animals!" Goten informed him indignantly, "Mom, tell him."

"They did," she confirmed, snickering at Vegeta's expression.

"See?" Goten insisted, "I'll make a little door, and train her to go outside. Plus, she'll catch the mice."

"If you don't make pets of them as well," Vegeta muttered dryly, slumping in precognitive defeat, "You're taking care of it, or it leaves."

"Thanks! You won't regret it," Goten exclaimed happily, "What's a good name for a Saiyan-cat?"

"Okay, great, distraction over," Trunks announced, plucking the evidence from 17's jeans pocket, then placed it on the coffee table. "Dad, about the noise you heard - you'll be better placed to understand why they almost sabotaged their own aircraft, so their case is all yours."

Vegeta stared at the makeshift tool, understanding. "It's my day," he muttered, adding dryly, "I advise my 'clients' to plead insanity." He placed their new pet in Goten's lap and headed for his room, rubbing his head.

Goten and ChiChi visibly cringed.

Vegeta returned immediately with a small case that held a capsule, labelled '7-Edge' with the Capsule Corp logo. "It's simple," he told them sternly, "I'll never use this, and it's perfectly logical if I give it to him." He tossed it to Goten, who caught it with a questioning look. "Since he can fly by himself, and ChiChi cannot, the choice looks obvious. Right, Goten?" He glanced pointedly at the kitten, then at Goten's watch. "I have the whole day off, and nothing to do… oh well, too bad. I guess we can always play video games," he told Goten with a pointed smirk.

Goten's wide eyes stared up at him reproachfully. "You wouldn't," he protested with a sad tinge to his voice.

"Your Look isn't receivable in Saiyan court," Vegeta replied, unmoved, adding under his breath, "Though, bribes are always considered in good faith."

Goten quickly placed the capsule in his mother's hand. "Meet your new helicopter."

"Goten, you can't be serious," ChiChi began, changing her mind at his warning, dark look. "…Okay," she replied, silenced.

"Good." Vegeta sat back down and told Trunks, "So recapsule and recycle that abomination."

Trunks nodded, relieved, and 17 asked Goten, holding up his old tool, "Can I keep it?"

"Isn't that illegal?" Goten asked, glancing at his holster. At 17's raised eyebrow, he conceded, "Why not."

Seeing all missions accomplished, ChiChi announced, "Well, I was hoping to get some shopping done. I don't usually on a Sunday, but for now, I gotta feed two Saiyans and two kittens."

17 and Trunks grinned, but the latter asked Vegeta, "Can you guys go partway to show her the new features?"

"They can't be that difficult," ChiChi told them indignantly.

"No problem," Vegeta replied quickly, telling ChiChi, "The regular model doesn't have some extras I added myself."

Trunks had not thought of that, visibly wondering if it were such a good idea.

17's eyes lit up. "I want one, too." To ChiChi, he offered, "Do you want to race some time?"

"Sure," ChiChi replied cheerfully.

"Mom." Goten tugged at her sleeve, and the two kittens watched, standing on their food bags with their heads poking out of his backpack.

"No worries, you'll have all day for 'video games,' she told him flatly.

"I wouldn't mind watching that," 17 said with a once-over each so only they could hear, watching both their faces turn red, then pale.

"I'm outa here," Vegeta muttered to ChiChi, tossing her capsule open to reveal the shiny new engine.

17 stifled a snicker. "It's fun messing with their heads," he told Trunks.

"Well, later, then," ChiChi bade them, looking confused again before getting in on the pilot's side.

ChiChi flew the engine like a boss, Vegeta was impressed to note, even performing a few aero-flips. "I won't be back before at least six-thirty," she called before the two jumped, waving, and flew back toward the Son home.

Unaccumstomed to flying, the kittens huddled at the bottom of Goten's backpack until they were safely landed. Letting them in, Goten fixed the louder windchime over the door, locking the deadbolt as well, to make sure, setting his bag down so the kittens could explore the house.

He sighed with relief to be home, pleasantly surprised when Vegeta pinned him to the door for an aggressive, searching kiss that matched his groping hands. For all the cool, collected demeanor he'd shown earlier, his raw desire could no longer be stifled.

"Gods, Vegeta." Trembling with need, Goten pushed him onto the couch to gratefully melt into a hungry, lusty embrace. Neither had the patience for any foreplay, and Goten's hand slid between his legs to knead his hardening shaft while his mouth took to his throat, surely leaving random teeth marks.

Vegeta inhaled sharply at what Goten's hand was doing to him, but glaced back in annoyance a couple of times.

"What?" Goten asked impatiently to feel that he'd softened a bit.

Vegeta's upside-down vision could not ignore the small furball watching behind his shoulder; with black hair, and slanted eyes that were still blue. "I can't, with that creature watching! Make it leave."

Goten had barely noticed it, and rolled his eyes. "She don't care. C'mon, just ignore it."

"I can't stand being watched," Vegeta insisted.

Neither in the mood to argue, Goten seized his arm and dragged him to the stairway. "Sorry, kitty, back later. Go play now."

She seemed to understand, and ran off in search of the other kitten while her new masters locked themselves in what was for the moment their room. What harm could two unsupervised kittens do? They would have plenty of time to explain the damage to ChiChi later.

TBC in Chapter 6…


	6. Chapter 6

This time, Vegeta made sure the bedroom door was locked before pushing Goten onto the bed for a heated makeout. The demi Saiyan wrapped his legs happily around him, first teasing his throbbing heat lightly with one playful hand.

"Goten!" Vegeta's teeth sunk instinctively into the side of his throat, half muffling his greedily lusty moans. Like Goten, he was in no mood for delays, for any reason.

"You looked so calm and cool all day." Goten's deep, black eyes were half closed, and shone with desire to match his attractively blushed cheeks. "I love watching you lose that, just for me."

"That's why I like watching your face." Vegeta's hand was giving him the same treatment, for the lust-drunken look that he was fond of. Understanding, Goten kneaded him properly for the same favor, which nearly made their vision blurr with longing.

Hastily, Goten tugged down Vegeta's sweatpants and undershorts, kneeling to tongue-lash all the right places of his rigid member. Both of Vegeta's hands clutched at random handfuls of shaggy hair, and luckily there was no need to keep quiet, as he didn't even try.

Getting the message, Goten engulfed him properly, obliged to hold onto the base of his lover's shaft to keep from choking. When his grip loosened, Goten pushed him back on the pillow and climbed onto the bed again, his tongue still busy in the warmth of his gently sucking mouth. Among intensely pleasured groans, Vegeta's hand clawed sporadically at his T-shirt.

That sometimes felt like a submissive act, Vegeta thought, when he was clearly being sucked by his sub. It was as though he were giving him part of his ki with his climax, or maybe another sort of energy. But Goten gave him something as well, that he could no longer do without. It was an exchange, he acknowledged, but why was he thinking of such things now, when he was simply ready to explode?

Discretely, Goten observed him. Vegeta rarely made much of a fuss in bed, rather he preferred to quietly yet totally immerse himself in the experience. Not that he was complaining, and lots of physical tension had built up for them both that day. His free hand took Vegeta's, who enlaced their fingers, squeezing them in staccato grips in time to his building contractions.

Feeling his climax near, Vegeta roughly seized a handful of hair again, shoving him hard into his crotch to fuck his mouth. Goten held him still with a disapproving sound, purposefully slowing his sucking mouth to more completely lash his tongue over the places that drove him crazy. Vegeta's body stiffened, and a strangled growl became a soft, ecstatic groan as he came in warm, pulsing jets in Goten's mouth before relaxing.

"Thank you," Vegeta sighed in true relief, his eyes closing.

"You're welcome." Goten smiled at his choice of words, but they were sincere, and he could kiss him all he wanted now.

"Hey, calm down," Vegeta admonished him, but liked when his affection matched his hormonal level.

"Easy for you to say," Goten pointed out sulkily, though it was quickly forgotten, and replaced with a mischievous smile. "I just thought of the sexiest game."

Vegeta's hand was already stroking him again, lightly and playfully through his shorts. "Yeah? Tell me."

"A challenge, where we take turns," Goten explained, "One does everything he can to make the other come, but the other resists as long as he can - no moving allowed, though. The one to last longer wins."

Vegeta smiled slowly. "I like that. Of course, I would easily win, but that's okay," he replied confidently, returning to his short prelude.

"I see your challenge, but I think I'm turning blue," Goten declared. Indeed, he was trembling intensely with short breathing, and pulled Vegeta fully onto him.

"Subtle message received." Vegeta sunk into his embrace and wanton kiss, into which he could immerse himself and easily lose track of time.

But the demi Saiyan would not let him at that moment, pulling his hand between his legs with a desperate moan. Understandingly, Vegeta pulled down his shorts and underwear to admiringly trace his rigid, leaking shaft. "That does look painful," he admitted, quickly taking it into his warm mouth before he might scream, as his face suggested.

Beyond a small, pleasured exclamation, Goten was stilled to silence. Vegeta seemed to know precisely what he wanted before he knew it himself, and for the moment, he was content to quietly ride the sparkling waves of sensation. When they intensified, he could not help clutching handfuls of his hair and shirt, ending the quiet phase. It was nice to let go, which his senpai understood.

On his side, Vegeta considered a different angle of his earlier thought. The contrarily submissive act gave him a sense of power, in that he made him feel and react any way he pleased. Power struggles were primal instincts that heightened their excitement. Gently, he stroked Goten's painfully tightened balls, making him inhale sharply.

"Yeah… perfect!" Goten managed, petting his hair affectionately. He'd thought it would be over too quickly, but the fullblooded Saiyan brought him such an exquisite mix of teasing and promising sensations, it stunned him. Vegeta really enjoyed pleasing him, he realized in wonder, feeling his slippery, scissoring fingers work their magic inside him. In these instants of bliss, he completely lost himself in it. He was lasting longer than he'd anticipated, but when the other male's hand softly rubbed his balls while slowing his sucking, that was it. The muscles in his thighs clenching uncontrollably, he balled the sheets in his fists, his head thrown back in small, ecstatic sobs.

"You turn me on like crazy," Vegeta voiced breathlessly before going back to work, feeling his cock jerk in his mouth.

At his words, Goten's body stiffened with such a long and powerful climax, it left him dazed and seeing stars for quite some time, basking in his afterglow. It was surprisingly enough for now, as both were content and relaxed.

Goten seemed so fragile at times, Vegeta thought, watching him as he rested. After a few tranquil minutes, he suggested, "We should be setting up the house pretty soon."

His query was met with silence, before Goten replied, "So soon?" His voice was peculiarly hollow.

"Well, it's rather awkward here," he explained, adding on a lighter note, "I also want you all to myself."

That brought a small smile to Goten's face. He was quickly learning that Vegeta was not as different from his fantasy version as he'd thought, which made his head spin with a contrast of elation and fear. Sometimes, he worried that he would wake up and see that it had all been just a dream.

At his dull expression, Vegeta's smile faded. "Something wrong?"

"No," Goten replied automatically, "It's just kind of sudden." It was what they'd planned, though for some reason, he was finding it difficult to keep his sang-froid. He could not keep a mask on forever, but hadn't thought it would slip so soon. Please, no, he conjured whichever god may be listening, Don't let me crack now. The one he loved may see too soon, and decide he was too screwed up to deal with.

Vegeta's face turned serious. "We have the same defense armor." His finger traced the center of his chest with a tinge of sadness, as though he could actually touch it. "Don't close up on me."

"It's not that," Goten promised, "I was just thinking."

Vegeta was silent at his turn. He made him happy in the way he could, but whatever had disturbed him for so long could not simply vanish. Or maybe what they had was not as it appeared, once dragged into the too often ugly light of reality. "Is it too soon for you, or did you change your mind?"

"No!" Goten looked up at his hardened, expressionless face in panic. "Did you?"

"Why would I do that, since I asked?" Vegeta's sudden impatience calmed, though he was confused by the demi's sudden mood swings.

"I don't know." Goten looked down in embarassment, unable to shake his angst. "Do you really love me?"

"You have to ask me that?" Puzzled, Vegeta hesitated. "Goten, you're not talking to your instructor now. And whatever it is has gone on too long. Don't you think it's time to tell me about it?"

Goten's struggle was evident in his face as he idly traced a paisley pattern on his navy blue bedspread. "How can I tell you what I can't explain to myself?"

"You don't believe I'd think lesser of you?" Vegeta asked soberly.

Goten's shoulders slumped. "I don't know." He kept his eyes averted, clearly uncomfortable around the subject.

"Well, I won't." Despite his discovery that he could write his thoughts, Vegeta was clumsy at verbal expression. "Everyone goes through difficult times."

"That's just it," Goten exclaimed in sudden irritation, "All I ever heard is how everyone else's life was so difficult, and how I've had an 'easy life'. Well, they're wrong." He folded his arms bitterly.

 _Now we're getting somewhere_. "I know."

Goten propped his head on one hand. "Sorry. Maybe I do have too many hormones. They're not always fun."

Vegeta nodded slowly at his reluctance. "Since your brain's going to make them anyway, you might as well channel them in a better way." He held out his arms, into which Goten gladly fell, seeming to remember who he was talking to. "Take your time, yeah? We'll stay here for now, and take care of that when you're ready." Patiently, Vegeta played with his hair as he liked, until he gradually relaxed.

He would do that for him? Goten looked up seriously and took his cheeks in his hands for a soft kiss. Now that he mentioned it…

It felt good to be held tightly in Vegeta's arms, and he could not recall ever feeling so safe. He does love me, Goten thought in wonder, and his affection became more intense. Hormones, oh yeah, definitely.

Vegeta had to smile despite being nearly strangled, reflecting that a near concussion had been worth it for him. 'Kawaii', the manga he'd flipped through was captioned a lot, but the word paled in his eyes. Mine was a better word.

Goten shoved him onto his back, feeling a tremor pass through them both as he aggressively kissed him, his tongue darting provocatively between his lips while his hands groped him. "I want you, Vegeta."

He'd paused to see which position his senpai wanted, not surprised to be roughly flipped onto his back at his turn. The demi Saiyan's eyes closed, scarcely hearing what he said, but it was smooth and reassuring. A desperate longing overwhelmed him when Vegeta peeled off his clothes, and he reached up to do the same.

Tan, satiny skin was pressed to his own, warm and inviting beneath his touch. On one hand, he could stay that way forever; on the other, he needed him in the worst way, and now. He wrapped his legs back around him, pulling him into place.

Then he was inside him, slippery, stretching him, and hitting his sweet spot to perfection, every time. Small moans from them both became progressively louder, and the bed springs squeaked beneath their exertions. Goten's newly pulsing manhood rubbed against Vegeta's skin with each mutual thrust, which drove him insane.

The fullblooded Saiyan had trained his bangs to go back into the rest of his hair like his father's, but in this position with much exertion, often they fell back down. Goten loved it, and purposefully pulled them down to admire the look. It would usually made Vegeta blush with embarassed annoyance, but at such a moment, he could not care less.

"Oh gods!" Goten's head was thrown back, with the expression his lover adored, and was rewarded with heated kissing and the caresses he most loved. He could no longer live without him, Goten thought, not for the first time. Whatever it took to make him happy, he would do so. Others who gave them strange looks could just fuck off. There was nothing he would not do for him, he swore as he reached his blinding climax.

Vegeta's sadistic side had kicked in, and he let the relentless ecstasy slowly build, until he was satisfied with Goten's pleading sobs. Then he took hold of Goten's weeping shaft and pumped it in time to his thrusts, which would later explain why his back was clawed to hell. Goten's back arched before his body stiffened with his climax, abundantly wetting them both before he relaxed, still trembling as he thrusted back, fingering Vegeta's sensitive tail spot and his balls in turn.

Vegeta clenched his teeth, usually preferring to come much later, but the demi Saiyan turned him on like nothing else, and he was thrusting uncontrollably, slamming the headboard into the wall. Later, they might be concerned about the hole in the wall, or the possibility of the small bed collapsing beneath them, but definitely not at that moment.

Exclaiming incoherently as he pinned him down, he sunk his teeth into the side of Goten's throat as he came in warm, electric jolts inside him. It seemed to last longer than usual, before his body went limp in Goten's soft embrace.

They beheld their afterglow as some sacred rite, and when it tapered off, they exchanged a small, mysterious smile. Their union was sacred, they realized at that moment, despite their lighthearted moods.

Glancing at what he could see of the side of his neck and shoulder, covered in bruises and fresh, bloody teethmarks, Goten asked in amusement. "Why do you always bite me like that?"

he question made Vegeta realize just what it was between them, which gave him an idea for his next chapter. "Besides the obvious, I'll need to explain that part of our heritage," he replied mysteriously, though Goten suspected that some part of him instinctively knew.

They spent most of their free time exactly where they were, in a frenzy of non-stop lovemaking; sometimes savagely against the wall, other times more gently, both left in a euphoric cocoon.

Intimacy was something that Vegeta took very seriously, Goten had quickly learned. Though he was quite hesitant to start something, it was just as intense once it did.

He seemed to be contemplating Goten as well, and commented, "You're really flexible." Not that it was the first time he noticed.

"Like you." Goten smiled lazily. "And you wondered why I was always distracted for so long."

"So distracted you had Trunks worried," Vegeta reminded him, but could not help being flattered.

"I couldn't tell him I just wanted you."

"That was your last year?" Vegeta asked, remembering the notebooks.

"Uhm…" Goten searched his mind for diplomacy, finding none. "…no."

Both looked away in what should have been embarassment, but instead laughed. Still, Vegeta considered him thoughtfully. "I think I see part of it."

Playing with Vegeta's dishevelled hair, Goten paused, guessing his thought of the probable sources of his chagrin. "Vegeta, I know you aren't very comfortable here, and time alone when we want'll be nice."

Vegeta considered the demi Saiyan beside him, who was playing with his bangs again. "Why don't we see about that later, okay? There's no rush."

"It's not that what bothers me," Goten said quickly, "Believe me. I just want you to be happy." His wide eyes watched his future mate.

Vegeta ruffled his hair. "No worries there, 'Ten. But we can't do much about it tonight, anyway." He glanced at Goten's digital clock. "Come on, then."

Still having a little time, they cleaned up and redressed before going downstairs. And discovered the mess.

"Bad kitties!" Goten scolded, watching them hide guiltily behind an armchair. Vegeta only groaned before the half hour it took them to clean up a broken vase, a potted plant, several dishes, and similar items.

The scolding didn't last long, however, as just afterward when they sat on the couch, Goten called them to his lap with apologetic pettings for leaving them for so long.

Vegeta shook his head, but said nothing. He sometimes felt disoriented of late, no longer so sure of who he was - it had all happened so fast - but Goten's presence reassured him.

ChiChi returned a bit later with a bag in hand. "Goten, are you trying to turn him into a cat person?"

Vegeta snorted. "Not exactly. If you saw the mess they made…" he declared, then closed his mouth. "What's for dinner?" he asked casually.

"What did they break?" ChiChi sighed.

"A vase that just collected dust, the pot of your aloe vera plant, but I replanted it, some dishes we rarely use, a couple glass picture frames, and your potpourri is now Vanilla Spice-scented confetti," Goten reported.

"ChiChi blinked. "Weren't you watching them?"

Both were quiet, before Goten replied, "We cleaned it up."

"Goten…" ChiChi warned.

Goten glanced at Vegeta, both remaining mute.

She changed the subject. "Well, there's a ton of groceries waiting for muscle. Up."

Goten set the two kittens aside, and he and Vegeta stepped out, returning with multiple grocery bags hoisted effortlessly in their arms. They set them down in the kitchen, the three of them talking casually while putting them away.

"You'll both be useful for hunting and fishing," ChiChi told them, "Meat is getting way too expensive, and I hit three markets."

"Sure," Goten replied uneasily.

After a copious dinner, the three of them talked over the tea that ChiChi always prepared.

"We'll be setting up the house soon," Goten told ChiChi, "Vegeta wants to take our time, though."

Not missing Vegeta's regard from her to Goten, ChiChi replied, "Of course. There's no rush." But she stared into her cup and frowned, clearly not keen on the idea of them leaving. An insistant look from Vegeta could hardly be ignored, so she told Goten, "Go feed the cats, in the pantry."

The demi Saiyan complied, mumbling about possible names for theirs and ChiChi's kittens.

When he'd left the kitchen, ChiChi asked Vegeta in a lowered voice, "Did he tell you?"

"No. He says it's nothing, but the mood swings don't make sense," Vegeta replied, "I'm trying to get him to talk to me, but I'm not sure how."

"You're a lot alike," ChiChi observed, both stopping their conversation when Goten reappeared, and they were interrupted by a knock at the door. She stood to go answer it, and the Saiyans followed curiously but slowly.

"Hello, Trunks. 17," she bade, standing aside for them to enter, "What brings you here?"

Trunks held up a modest travel bag. "Dad, you forgot one of the bags you packed," he explained, "Mostly training clothes." Vegeta nodded and accepted it, with a sharp glare at 17's stifled smirk for the words 'forgot' and 'training clothes' in the same sentence. "17's going back to his place, and it's on the way," Trunks concluded.

"Those are my spare training clothes," Vegeta informed them dryly, "And you mean you're going back with him."

"Yeah." 17 grinned, offering Goten a handshake. "Going well, buddy?"

"Sure," Goten replied cheerfully, "And you?"

17 held up a peace sign. "Hey, your hair looks cool," he commented to Vegeta.

"I thought so, too," ChiChi agreed, studying the change.

Vegeta's hand strayed to his newly replaced bangs, having forgotten about them. "Goten likes it that way," he waved off, but disliked the comments.

"There's plenty of tea left," ChiChi offered the younger men, but Trunks glanced at his watch.

"Thanks, but we can't stay long," he declined, "Dad, can I talk to you a second?" He motioned for ChiChi to sit down as well.

At Goten's confused look, 17 dragged him out the back door. "Hey, you gotta see this. It works like a charm." He patted his holster and Goten followed him out, looking back suspiciously.

17 looked around and picked up an old piece of wood, which he blocked onto a tree branch. He took his pistol from his holster and a familiar looking gadget from his pocket. He'd removed a part of Goten's makeshift tool and made some changes, the result of which he attatched to the barrel.

Goten followed him to about a hundred yards away, watching as he took careful aim and fired. It made only a muted foosh sound, and they went to look at the target, now with an exact bullseye.

"Whoa." Impressed, Goten touched the bullet hole that was still smoking.

"Wanna try?" the Android offered with a grin.

"Nah. We don't need to," Goten brushed off, his thoughts elsewhere.

"Me neither, it's just fun," 17 explained lightly, reholstering the pistol, "Actually, I wanted to ask if everything's okay."

"Yeah," Goten replied, puzzled at the question, "Why's everyone asking me that?"

"I meant, sometimes one doesn't tell their partner certain things, like to not worry them or make any waves. We don't know each other very well, but I'm always free for a chat."

Goten considered the Android, reflecting that though he personally had nothing against him, he'd never heard his side of the story. "Well, thanks," he replied clumsily, "But everything's fine."

"Maybe not now," 17 told him smoothly, "But if you need to talk, we gotta look out for one another. So feel free, okay?"

"Sure, sniper." Goten grinned and they headed back into the house. When they entered, the other three stopped talking. He looked questioningly at 17, who shrugged.

"You had to show off your new toy, didn't you?" Trunks joked.

"Yep," 17 replied cheerfully, adding, "We should be on our way."

ChiChi and the two Saiyans watched them fly away, until they became two small dots on the horizon of the multicolored sunset.

"Trunks could've just told me, 'step out so we can talk about you,'" Goten commented sullenly, folding his arms.

"He's just concerned about you, Goten," ChiChi informed him.

"You mean 'concerned' like he doesn't approve of us?" Goten retorted. He stood unmoving against the wall, making Vegeta and himself look like bookends.

"No," Vegeta assured him, "He's been saying the same things for a long time, and I would tell you if it were more."

"A long time is relative," Goten reasoned, "He's also known for a long time. He's being a hypocrite."

"We can speak confidentially later, but it's nothing new," Vegeta promised.

Goten gave a nod and said no more, tucking his thoughts aside as always. Vegeta noticed, also saying nothing.

ChiChi watched them over the next few days, and despite an expected tension, she saw now what was different. Vegeta had certainly mellowed out over time, but around Goten, he was himself, without seeing the need for his invisible shield.

On his side, Goten understood him in his way, even in his irrational moments when he yelled at everyone to leave him alone, then silently lamented having no one to talk to.

Whatever he'd said to her son now made his dark look fade, replaced by a serene smile. She had no reason to worry for him, which was as close to a stamp of approval as ChiChi would get.

The weather proved to be excellent for their day at Kasumi-Mori, pleasantly warm with a cool breeze, and the sun peeking intermittently from an azure sky behind cottony white clouds. Right after noon was perfect, when the mist from the waterfall lifted for a clear view of the surroundings.

It was a beautiful, secluded haven, even the birds overhead singing of tranquility and freedom. Goten's eyes sparkled in wonder as the two of them scrutinized the topography, and Vegeta seemed more serene. They quickly found an ideal patch of land for the house, bordered by willows that hovered over the water downstream.

"The mist will make it invisible," Goten observed.

"Nice change for me," Vegeta replied, "I really hated living in the city."

"I know." Goten watched as he tossed open the capsule, reflecting that perhaps he wouldn't feel the constant need to lock himself in anymore.

They walked in to take a look. Even Vegeta had never actually seen it, aside from its blueprints. Beyond an added training room, it was modest in size with some basic furnishings, but it was comfortable. Outside, the soft whirring of the waterfall made a pleasant white noise, and a fresh, woodsy scent drifted in through the opened windows. It was a house one would with fondness call home, or wish it were if it were not.

 _If it were not._

Goten's smile faded, replaced by a dark expression that was gone as soon as it appeared. At Vegeta's questioning look, he replied, "I thought I forgot something."

Vegeta said nothing, and hadn't for the last few days. He deemed silent brooding normal for himself, but the same from Goten left him perplexed. Hypocritical, perhaps, yet it was his thought. The younger male would speak when he was ready. To Goten, he improvised, "Scared me there. I thought you meant your binder."

Goten laughed. "No way. I can handle Mom seeing us asleep, but that is nightmare material."

Vegeta grinned. "Exactly. We should hide it before we forget." He led him cleverly toward the bedroom, not missing his ambivalent expression. Slightly manipulative, perhaps, but the idea was to move the things he saw as his refuge here.

As Goten had done in his room, they pulled up the carpet under the leg of the double bed, then pried up a couple of floorboards to make a secret panel. Vegeta wedged the binder snugly in its new cache, then they replaced the lot.

They finished unpacking a few things, stocked the refrigerator and cupboards with food, and made the place look as lived in as possible, including a small pet door Goten built in for the cat.

The younger man seemed to be studying the interior, but looked a bit lost.

"Thinking of decoration already?" Vegeta asked lightly.

"Kind of," Goten replied, not really paying attention, "Guess it should look more mature than my room. What do you like?"

"I don't know much about it," Vegeta answered honestly, "Whatever seems right."

Goten chewed his lip while staring at a blank wall, feeling as though he were choking. "Maybe the view outside will be more inspiring?"

"Sure." Vegeta followed him outside to where he sat on the grass near the stream, mindlessly watching the crystalline water go by.

After a long silence, Goten asked, "Do you think those little fish really like what they do, or are they just doing what they're supposed to?"

Like Goten, Vegeta looked over the bank to watch some tiny black minnows swimming in sync. "They do seem to think alike." He'd expected a laugh, or at least a genuine smile from the demi Saiyan, but the latter only managed a small, forced one. His initial indignation gave way to something else, and he reached over to squeeze his shoulder. A face like his should not look so forlorn. His arm closed over his chest and he pressed his lips in his hair.

Goten had been finding it difficult to breathe, and he tightly balled the tail of his shirt in his fists. A lump formed in his throat, and something threatened to break loose. He unconsciously clutched Vegeta's arm, and too late was aware of tears ready to ooze heavily down his cheeks. Quickly he wiped them away in embarassment. Vegeta seemed to understand, and said nothing. Oddly, his gesture made them harder to choke back. He could not remember the last time that had happened since his childhood, at least in anyone's presence.

 _If it were me..._ Vegeta turned him around tight in his arms so that he could hide his face against him. "Don't turn out like me, Goten."

Despite his urge to run to the end of nowhere, he doubted his feet would lift him off the ground. And why run, when he was exactly where he wanted to be?

Sensing the need for silence, Vegeta calmingly rubbed his back. The long moment passed with no awkwardness, only tension, like a long overdue storm.

Tears streamed down Goten's hidden face like a steady rain, leaving his speech unbroken. "It's all too good to be true. I'm sick of having the rug pulled out from under my feet. Every time I dare to think everything's going well, bam, it's gone. Like I don't have the right to be happy."

Vegeta thought about it from the demi Saiyan's point of view. Looking back over the turning points of his life, it could easily appear that way. "And you think that's going to happen now?"

He felt him nod grimly. "Maybe I'll wake up to see it was all a dream. Or you'll say, 'Well, that was fun, but reality calls.' And leave. Doesn't even matter why. It's what always happens."

Vegeta frowned. "If that's how it was, no one would know. And I wouldn't be moving in with you." He hesitated in thought. "Why would I change my mind now?"

"I don't know. Maybe because I never do anything right. All I ever did was disappoint everyone." He paused in search of words. "It's like I can imagine what I want, but reality's a different world that will always be like that. It's like I only pretend to live, but inside, I'm dead. You can make me forget it, but I accepted that thought for so many years…" He was unable to speak any more past an invisible vice grip on his throat.

Vegeta nodded, understanding clearly now. "That's kind of what I thought," he reflected aloud. He held him in his lap, slowly stroking his hair and back. "I know what you mean. But don't think that about me. It's not true." He, too, was seeking adequate words.

Goten found his voice long enough to manage, "If it ends, and I have to go back home alone…" He screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to think about what he would actually go through with. "Don't leave me, Vegeta."

The latter winced at the pain in his voice, holding him tighter. "I won't leave you, Goten. I promise."

Goten clutched him as tightly, daring not to speak. He was too close to breaking into sobs, which he did not want him to witness. He would just confirm himself to be weak, the feared sin of every warrior. 'Warrior,' he mocked himself contemptuously.

Vegeta waited for him to calm a bit before asking, "How long have you loved me?" He'd been quite vague about that.

Goten paused, and drew a blank. "I've no idea," he replied with a tinge of surprise, "I told you, time is relative to me." He chewed his lip nervously. "What about you?"

"I guess I don't know, either," Vegeta acknowledged, "Maybe since always, it just evolved."

"Yeah, evolved," Goten agreed. He'd furtively dried his face, never having told a soul about that, and was now emotionally exhausted. It was a dreadful feeling, as though he'd been scraped raw inside, and numbed rather than healed.

"You see?" Vegeta pointed out, "Something that goes so far back isn't just going to vanish." Goten nodded, thinking about it. "Remember how the Saiyan mating ritual works? Most thought such a pair knew each other in another life, or some other world. If so, some hidden part of us still remembers. That's a heavy burden for one life." The demi Saiyan was considering his point, and Vegeta firmly lifted up his face. "It might take you some time to see it, but I won't leave you. Ever."

"Me neither, Vegeta." The piercing obsidian eyes he looked into were the ones he loved, and he could see in them that their owner was telling the truth.

"You better not." The ferocity in the latter's voice carried a much younger undertone, and for a fleeting second, Goten swore he could see a mental image of him when he was a child, in a red cape and the royal crest emblazoned on his armor. That could explain his immediate fascination with his bangs, he thought. His strange vision developped, and he saw his own younger self take the prince's small, gloved hands in his own.

 _/That's an order, grandson of Bardock./_

"Who's Bardock?" Goten asked aloud without thinking, earning a very strange look from Vegeta.

"You heard that?" Vegeta demanded incredulously.

"I don't know. I thought I did," Goten replied in confusion.

"Bardock was your grandfather," Vegeta replied, "You look so much like your grandmother, Gine, and I see a lot of your grandfather in you."

"What were they like?" Goten asked, and listened attentively to a hesitant description of them, of their lives on what Vegeta remembered of the old planet, Frieza's ship, then Earth. Despite his vague discourse, Goten saw diverse scenes play out in vivid detail in his mind's eye, as clearly as watching a film. The more he heard, and especially saw, he wondered how Vegeta had kept a shred of sanity, and of how close he'd came to losing it. Especially, he saw the origin of some of his own problems that he was unable to explain.

 _The explosion. Bardock, in all logic, should be dead, yet found himself on a strange new planet_. _Projected prone onto the ground, which he pounded with his fist in bitter regret of his demoralizing failure. And fury. "WHY CAN I NOT BECOME STRONGER!?" A familiar golden glow..._

"My dad wasn't the first to turn Super Saiyan!" Goten interrupted suddenly, "My grandfather was. Ba–dakku," he pronounced clumsily.

Vegeta looked up sharply. "What?!"

Spontaneously, Goten grabbed his hands. "Look! I mean…" He sought some way to express what he was somehow seeing, but Vegeta had shut his eyes. Then snapped them open, staring at Goten in astonishment.

"But what…?" Goten asked, confused.

"You mean you 'saw' all that?" Vegeta asked incredulously. When Goten nodded, he stared into space with more questions than he could articulate. "Most of it, I remember," he explained, "But the rest, I wasn't even there." He stared at Goten now, realization slowly clarifying. So many visions of which he'd been ignorant.

 _"By the way, make arrangements to introduce me to your son," Frieza had almost,cordially told the king._

 _The latter assumed an angrily defensive stance, clenching his teeth._. _'I'll be damned to hell first!' he mentally swore._.

 _"Calm down, I just wish to meet him,"_ _Frieza added before taking his leave_. _'He shall be groomed by a worthier mentor,' he thought to himself,_ _with Vegeta-sei's destruction long since planned. The monster truly believed he was doing the right thing, by Icejin standards of survival of the fittest; his hopes for the prince to be his right arm man were authentic, as much as his disappointment in him as a traitor in his eyes._

"Damn," Goten muttered under his breath, in complete lack of words for the hellish ordeal. Aloud, he reflected, "My dad always told us life isn't black and white. It seemed absurd coming from him, but I guess I see now." The reason why he'd given the defeated tyrant a second chance, his vision told him.

"I saw that in him," Vegeta remembered, "Only after many years." He studied Goten thoughtfully. "What I told you about the mating ritual dates back to our primitive origins, like the cave people of Earth. Shared visions and telepathy develop afterward. Though, if we ourselves evolve, I suppose that can as well."

Goten looked up, wide-eyed. "You mean, we're…" The sudden realization made him giddy.

"Bonded mates, yes." Vegeta returned his catching smile, squeezing his hands.

Spontaneously, Goten happily enlaced who he now knew to be his mate. He would never leave him, even in death, as when one mate passed to the next world, the other automatically followed.

Vegeta was simply relieved to sense that the dark cloud that had hung over Goten for so long had dissipated.

"I guess it goes to show," Goten began, playing with Vegeta's bangs again, "You can take the aiyan out' the planet, but you can't take da planet out' the Saiyan."

Vegeta blinked. "That's one way to put it."

It only took the duo another two days to finish moving into their new house, to ChiChi's chagrin.

"I thought you were going to take your time," she reminded them reproachfully, "I told you we can always set Gohan's old bed back up, for when you'll want more room."

"We tried. It… didn't end well," Goten told her, stifling a snicker despite a glare from Vegeta.

"Then you'd better keep your word and visit often," ChiChi demanded, adding innocently, "Especially since neither of you likes to cook."

They exchanged a glance and quickly replied in unison, "We will."

"Good," she settled, "Anyway, Fluffy's gonna miss… your cat really needs a name, besides 'furball.'" She rolled her eyes at Vegeta.

"I know, but not just any name for a royal Saiyan cat," Goten pointed out, "And you can visit us, too, since you have a legal helicopter now."

"Maybe I shouldn't have added my extras," Vegeta wondered aloud.

"I probably won't need the missel launcher," ChiChi told him, "But well done for the smoke screen."

Vegeta looked proud, and Goten laughed at the comical image that sprang to mind.

"You seem much better now," she observed of Goten, turning to both in a serious tone, "What happened?"

"Nothing really happened," Goten replied, "But all's fine. Just understanding some cultural stuff I didn't before."

ChiChi thought for a moment. "That makes sense. I'm glad you're okay." They both nodded, and she added, "Do I get to see your house now? I know you'll need help decorating."

"Sure," Goten replied cheerfully, "Just nothing breakable and no potpourri."

After only two days of having lived in their new house, promised visits were paid by ChiChi, then Gohan with Videl and Pan, followed by Trunks with Bulla and 17.

Having half expected an awkward, disapproving tension from his brother, Goten was pleasantly surprised to find that he was happily on his side, as he'd always been.

"Vegeta didn't really insult you," Goten calmly assured Gohan, "He was just trying to make me angry."

"Huh?" Puzzled, Gohan scratched his head. He'd been doing that a lot lately.

Unsurprisingly, the visit with Trunks and 17 was familiar and relaxed. "Well, are you still keeping up your new hobbies?" 17 wanted to know.

"Of course," Goten replied cheerfully, "You guys, too?"

Vegeta hid his face. "If you tell a soul, I will deny it."

"Yeah," 17 replied with a grin, "It's addicting as hell. Isn't it?" he asked Trunks, who also hid his face.

They finished by laughing it off, while Bulla played with the kitten.

"By the way, Dad," Trunks remembered, "Mom's been biting her nails off, thinking of ChiChi flying your custom helicopter. She doesn't know exactly what you added, so what should I tell her?"

Whilst father and son were talking, Goten called 17 into the kitchen. "You said I could talk to you, right?"

"Of course." 17 followed him, looking concerned.

"Oh. No, everything's fine now," Goten promised at his serious expression, "I can't think of a name for our kitten. Vegeta just calls her 'furball', so you're right about that. Any ideas for a Saiya-cat?"

17 blinked. "That's your biggest issue now?" he asked doubtfully.

"Well, yeah," Goten replied earnestly, "You're imaginitive. What do you think?"

"Hm…" The Android gazed out the window at the edge of the stream. "I think he pets her when no one's looking. Maybe if you familiarize him with pets and get him to name her, they'll bond. Just give him that look of yours, and he's right in your pocket."

"What look?"

The same one Trunks gives me." 17 slumped with a sigh, but he brightened again. "I've seen you do it, and it works," he told him with an amused smirk. "Hey, I'm only kidding him, not being mean."

"I know." Goten also looked out the kitchen window, feeling proud of their view. "That just might work," he mumbled to himself, "Okay, I'll try it."

"Excellent choice." 17 beamed, but turned serious again. "Are you sure that's all you wanted to say?"

"Yes." Recalling their conversation in his mother's backyard, he conceded, "I know what you mean, but we had a long talk the other day. It was painful at first, but it's okay now. For me, anyway. But for him, I'm not so sure."

17 nodded to himself. "Not surprising, since it affected you. Start with the cat, and work up to it. You know him best. Sometimes it looks like you can read each other's minds."

Goten choked on his soft drink he was swallowing, wondering if he knew how truthful that was. "It seems like it," he replied when he'd finished coughing, then smiled. "Will do. Thanks, Sev."

"No problemo." Satisfied to feel useful, 17 followed him back to the living room.

"...just bulletproofed, and you didn't have time yet to add your extras," Trunks was agreeing.

As they were leaving, 17 followed Bulla's lead and slung an arm around Goten and Vegeta to squeeze their shoulders. "Take care of each other," he bade. A last hug for each from Bulla, and the three of them left.

The Android is acting wierd," Vegeta commented, "What's with him?"

"He wants normal friends," Goten explained from what he'd been told, "Even his sister acts like he doesn't exist anymore. Not cool."

That was indeed unfair, Vegeta thought, but said nothing. His opinion of her wasn't about to change.

They watched them disappear from sight, and Goten sat next to Vegeta on the couch. The kitten automatically jumped up with them, indecisively going from lap to lap before settling on Vegeta's.

"There's a reason why I like animals more than most people," Goten told him, "They're loyal no matter what, don't ask much, never judge you, and will be your best friend til the end." Curiously, Vegeta watched the tiny creature roll over in his lap, purring. "Pet her." Goten watched him place a careful hand on her back to pet and scratch her ears as Goten did. She purred louder, turning her head upside down, and amused him with her antics.

"I see what you mean." Vegeta's tone had softened, and he looked decidedly tired, though not sleepy.

"You should name her," Goten encouraged, "My mom didn't pick a very original name, but I'm sure you will. She's a Saiyan princess-cat." After a short debate, they settled on Vegeta's suggestion, Saiy'hime, which the kitten seemed to appreciate.

Goten slid an arm around him and pulled his head to his shoulder, feeling his heart race as always when he was so close. "Tired?"

"A little." His eyes closed, putting him in a calm state that made his thoughts easier to pick up. There were no specific ones, but his genuine worry, as well as memories that had resurfaced from them both, left him a bit frazzled.

Goten held him calmingly, in a similar way as Saiy'hime resting in his lap, and felt him gradually relax. Often he watched Vegeta sleep, and as always thought, You're with me, unclench your fists; even in sleep you are at war.

He hadn't meant for his thought to be heard, but Vegeta opened his palms kept unconsciously closed.

Goten quietly stroked his hair while holding him, to show that he could be his senpai's support as much as Vegeta could be his own. That was exactly what he needed at that time, and their small - well, catnap - did him more good than reinacting their entire personalized yaoi collection. Speaking for that precise moment, anyway.

Within a week, nerves were calmed, and the duo had settled into their household routine.

During the week they'd stayed at the Sons' home, they were obliged to go far from the house to train, as ChiChi had begun to nag them about not overdoing it. Now fearing that they'd become rusty, Vegeta pushed them to work harder during the first few days. Likewise, Goten was determined to prove that he hadn't become rusty, and worked out just as hard. Satisfied with their performance, Vegeta accorded them one out of two earlier days.

Puzzled at his mate's decision, Goten smiled his understanding when the former emerged from their room with his own laptop and Goten's binder.

Eagerly, the demi Saiyan flopped on the couch beside Vegeta, having missed their secret hobby. The later returned his mischievous smile, and opened his laptop.

Saiy'hime perched curiously on the back of the couch to see what caught her masters' attention. Vegeta was now accustomed to her, with one expected exception. He gave her chin a scratch, and Goten tossed her toy mouse, which she gladly pounced on.

A few minutes later, both were absorbed in their respective text and drawing, while Goten played footsie with Vegeta. He really preferred to be sprawled on the bed, but had found his strike of inspiration. They'd agreed not to use telepathy so as to avoid spoilers.

Goten paused to daydream for his next panel, sliding his hand playfully up Vegeta's knee to mid thigh. The latter squirmed but kept typing while Goten admired the swollen bulge between his legs. Vegeta cast him a sharp, warning glare, which ironically inspired him. He glanced furtively at Goten's notebook to see what made his pencil move faster.

"Hey, no peeking!" Goten covered his drawing, and squeezed Vegeta's knee.

"Then stop that!" Vegeta warned, which only made Goten lean foreward in a peal of laughter.

"No," he challenged defiantly, but distracted him with an unfairly heated kiss.

"That's it." Vegeta deleted a paragraph and retyped, his expression promising that this was going to be good.

Suddenly they were both startled by the sound of the telephone. Being the closest, Goten picked up. "Hello?" he answered, trying to stifle his snicker.

"Hey, Goten," 17's voice greeted on the other end, "I was wond–" He paused, and the grin could be heard in his voice. "You're reading your own porn again, aren't you?"

"Yes."

~The End~


End file.
